US socialite Paris Hilton is to star in a UK reality TV show where she looks for a new BFF - American slang for "best friend forever".

A group of wannabes will live together and the hotel heiress will eliminate them until she finds her new companion.

The 27-year-old millionaire said: "I need a best friend who is hot, who can keep up with me, and most of all, who is real and won't be a backstabber."

Paris Hilton's New Best Friend is part of ITV2's new Autumn schedule.

Potential best friends must join Hilton on the red carpet, attend parties and pass "tests of loyalty, endurance and girl politics".

"Everyone knows I love LA. But London, watch out - I'm coming to town and bringing my fast-paced life with me," Hilton said in a statement.

"I'm in the UK all the time, but of course I can't bring all my friends, so I've decided to look for a new BFF across the pond," she added.

More than 85,000 people applied to become Hilton's new best friend when the search began in the US version of the show.

Hilton is best known for MTV show The Simple Life where she and Nicole Richie ditched their lavish lifestyles to live and work with working class families around America.