Jade Goody: a life led in front of cameras

London, Mar 22 (PTI) From being brought up in a small
house in southeast London to becoming one of the most hated-
turned-loved person in Britain, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty's
bete noire in 'Big Brother', Jade Goody always lived her life
for the cameras.

Born as Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody on June 5, 1981, her
mother Jackiey Budden raised her as a single parent after her
father left them when she was just two years old.

Goody had openly spoken about her troubled childhood and
her struggle to get an education saying that her poverty-
ridden early days prompted her to secure a better future for
her two sons -- Bobby and Freddy from a relationship with TV
presenter Jeff Brazier.

Goody worked as a dental nurse before gaining popularity
by appearing on the Channel 4 reality show 'Big Brother' in
2002.

Though she was ridiculed by the media for being ignorant,
the star maintained a steady popularity and finished fourth in
the show.

Goody maintained her fame by starring in many other
reality shows, featuring in gossip columns and women magazines
and launching new products while other Big Brother contestants
were soon forgotten by the public. In the process, she went on
to win millions.

She also published her autobiography in 2006 titled
"Jade: My Autobiography" and launched her own fragrance
"Shh...Jade Goody".

Goody re-entered the celebrity edition of 'Big Brother'
with her mother Jackiey and boyfriend Jack Tweed in 2007 where
Indian actress Shilpa Shetty also participated.

While on the show, Goody gained notoriety for allegedly
bullying and racially abusing Shilpa, with the episode
snowballing into an international controversy. Goody was soon
evicted from the show and producers Channel 4 issued a
statement denying racial abuse charges.

She became a villain in the eyes of Indian public with
the media splashing the pictures of a crying Shilpa.

The issue became so huge that British broadcasting
regulator Ofcom received a record of more than 44,500
complaints from audiences.

The allegations affected Goody's meteoric rise as a
popular star in Britain. She later lamented her outbursts
against Shilpa in an interview with Davina McCall saying she
was "disgusted with self".

Her perfume was withdrawn from the shelves soon after
the racism controversy and the publication of her
autobiography was also stopped.

In her effort to improve her image, Goody decided to
appear on the Indian version of Big Brother, "Bigg Boss",
which was anchored by Shilpa.

And Goody was still in India when she received news that
she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer. The star left the
show to return to UK to begin treatment.

Goody became a national hero after she decided to go
public with her struggle with the deadly disease on Living TV.

She continued to give interviews about her day-to-day
battle with cancer. The star was initially slammed for selling
her story to the media but she hit back saying she wanted to
provide a better future for her two children, which further
propelled her into the public eye.

She married boyfriend Tweed on February 22 in a lavish
ceremony. The star reportedly received one million for selling
the exclusive coverage rights of her marriage to "OK!"
magazine.

After being told that her cancer had become terminal
in February, the star shocked the world by saying that she may
allow her last moments to be captured on camera.

"I've lived my whole adult life talking about my life.
The only difference is that I'm talking about my death now.
It's OK," she told the News of the World.

"I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll
die in front of them. And I know some people don't like what
I'm doing but at this point I really don't care what other
people think. Now, it's about what I want." PTI BK
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