Viewers shocked as Jade Goody documentary shows the moment she received cancer diagnosis live on air
The latest instalment of new Jade Goody documentary revealed the star was diagnosed with cancer on the Indian version of Big Brother, and it was aired on TV.
Jade Goody had travelled to India in 2008 to appear on their version of Big Brother, in an effort to redeem herself from her row with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.
The documentary, called Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain, shows that she was called into the diary room to be given her diagnosis.
Producers had decided to broadcast the horrible moment as she was sat in tears on the phone to doctors in London.
Jade shared the devastating news with Big Brother housemates before leaving, which was also aired on Indian TV.
But it turns out Jade had no idea the conversation was being filmed, and said ‘it was not right’. She also admitted she felt ‘lonely’ feeling like she was the last one to know about the diagnosis, and that she ‘just wanted to be cuddled’.
Viewers took to Twitter to share their outrage at the way Jade Goody’s cancer diagnosis was revealed, with many not realising it had been aired.
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One said the way it was handled was ‘shocking’, writing: 'I never realised that big brother india aired her getting the call from her doctor and then kept her in the house. Its shocking! How did they get away with that #JadeGoody.'
Another called the decision ‘disgusting’: 'I can not believe they showed Jade Goody been told she had cancer on national tv in India. Absolutely disgusting. #JadeGoody.'
One fan accused reality TV of ‘going too far’: 'Surely that was definitely reality TV a step too far? Telling someone they have cancer on tv. #JadeGoody'.
And another said that producers ‘handled it awfully’: 'Watching Jade Goody, wanna cry for her. Being told over the phone you have cancer and having it filmed and aired is shocking. They handled it awfully she should have been removed and then told #JadeGoody.'
The final part of the documentary covered the last months of Jade Goody’s life, from her diagnosis to her wedding day. She married Jack Tweed one month before her death, on Mother’s Day 2009 when she was 27.
Viewers were shown previously unseen footage of Jade and Jack’s wedding, with bridesmaids recalling memories of the day. One of Jade’s closest friends said: 'I could see nothing but sadness that day, because it was the end, it was the end of their love story.'
Read more: Jeff Brazier reveals his teenage sons struggle to discuss their late mother Jade Goody
She was also praised by her personal trainer Kevin Adams, who said that she had ‘soldiered on’ and ‘made the most of her wedding day’. He added: 'She was in excruciating pain, she was dancing, and she stayed dancing because it was her wedding day and that's what you do.'
Jade’s mum Jackiey Budden broke down as she reflected on how her grandson Freddie’s reaction to his mum’s death: 'The day before Mother's Day, which was the Saturday evening, Bobby and Freddie came in.
'Now she's semi-conscious and Freddie got in bed with her, laid beside her and said, 'Mum, mum. Are you Mummy Jade or Mummy Angel?'
'And I said, "She's still Mummy Jade". He said, "OK, so now she's Mummy Jade, can I go and stay with Nick Nack?", who was one of his school friends. I said, "Of course you can".
'Jeff took him to Nick Nack's and then we got a phone call [saying], "Freddie's in bits, crying his eyes out".
'He said, {I promise you, I won't cry no more but I need you to let me know if she's Mummy Mummy or Mummy Angel." I went, "She's Mummy Angel now."'
Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer for What's on TV, Goodto.com, and Woman&Home. After finishing her degree in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University she moved to London to begin her career. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases.