Paris Hilton finally began her jail term for driving offences last night, but not before one final red carpet appearance.

The hotel heiress spent her first night in the Los Angeles County jail after mingling with Victoria Beckham, Jack Nicholson and Cameron Diaz at the MTV Movie Awards yesterday. “I’m really scared but I’m ready to do this,” she told Hollywood reporters.

“I am trying to be strong right now. I’m ready to face my sentence. Even though this is a really hard time, I have my family, my friends and my fans to support me, and that’s really helpful,” said the 26-year-old.

Hilton was sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving while banned. She was arrested in Hollywood last September for reckless driving and had her licence suspended and was told to attend alcohol education classes.

In January she was pulled over by California Highway Patrol and forced to sign a document reminding her that she was not allowed to drive her car. A month later she was caught at the wheel once again, this time she was charged with violating her probation.

Hilton remains defiant. “I hope that I’m an example to other young people,” she told a confused crowd outside the film awards show. “I did have a choice to go to a pay jail. But I declined because I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I’m not and that’s why I wanted to go to county, to show that I can do it and I’m going to be treated like everyone else. I’m going to do the time, I’m going to do it the right way.”

The star of the Simple Life reality television programme will be housed in the “special needs” unit at the jail and not forced to interact with most of her 2,200 fellow inmates.

Steve Whitmore, the sheriff’s spokesman, confirmed that Hilton would be accommodated in the section reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates.

She will be allowed out of her 12-foot cell for one hour a day to shower and watch television, but she will not be able to use her mobile telephone or BlackBerry.

Hilton’s 45-day detention has already been reduced to 23 days for good behaviour.

Prison officers have been warned they will be fired if photographs or tape recordings leak out during Hilton’s stay.

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