Paris Hilton Goes from Celebutante to Humanitarian

Paris Hilton is showing the world that she is no longer just an heiress, but after a particularly stirring visit to an AIDS orphanage in India, she says she's going to make it part of her life's work.

New You magazine recently sat down with Hilton and asked what it's like to take on this new role.

“People don't know the real me. Just that the Paris that they were introduced to over a decade ago on The Simple Life is not who I am. That was just a character I was playing. The real Paris is down to earth, sweet, real girl—woman now—who is a businesswoman and feels very proud. I have worked very hard and I have a really big heart.”

Paris mentioned that every time she visits a country in need, she makes sure to visit some of the country's orphanages.

“I brought them all [children in orphanages] toys and art projects and they were saying, 'This is so sweet, no one ever visits them and people are scared to hang out with them.' That just made me so hurt inside that these poor children, who are literally dying, are being treated like outcasts. That is just something that really stuck with me and I always think about.”

One trip was specifically significant for Paris.

“There's this one orphanage in India where all the children there were left there because their parents all died of AIDS and the children had it as well. They were all in there, just so sick,” Paris told the magazine. “It just broke my heart to see all these children left there with no families, with nothing. Even the people in the town were treating them in a bad way because of it. It just broke my heart.”

When asked what her plan is for the future, Paris revealed that she is devoting her life to the cause. “I know that I have a voice to help those who don't [have a voice], and I'm really going to dedicate my life a lot to that in the upcoming years.