Worth a watch, this one.
Last night, the first instalment of Channel 4’s Jade Goody documentary aired.
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain details Jade’s rise to fame following her time in the Big Brother house, the cruel and calculated way she was treated by the press in the years following, and her tragic cervical cancer diagnosis that led to her eventual death.
The documentary, just like Jade, touched people across the nation and beyond as they told of her humour, sensitivity, and lust for life as she bravely fought cancer until she passed at just 27-years-old.
Last night’s episode took a look back at Jade’s difficult upbringing.
Brought up by a single mother, Jackiey Budden, after her father left following run ins with the authorities, Jade was catapulted into stardom following her appearance on the reality TV show.
Once she left the Big Brother house, she was hounded by the tabloid press who referred to her as a “pig,” hacked her phone, and attempted to make her life as difficult as possible.
At this stage in her life, the public opinion around Jade was polarised as people couldn’t decide whether they loved her – or really disliked her.
The next episode of the documentary will focus on Jade’s return to Big Brother and the racially charged altercations with Shilpa Shetty that left her in an even worse position.
The period was an incredibly dark and brutal one in Jade’s life, as her ignorance became apparent for the whole world to see.
Despite this, people have been incredibly touched – and angered – by part one of the documentary, namely due to the effect that Jade had on the numbers of women receiving cervical smears in the UK.
Whatever your opinion about #JadeGoody Please admire how ‘real’ she was. A truly unique, character who changed the game. Today’s reality stars will never come close. I’d much rather flawed and accurate representations of the population instead of manufactured wannabes pic.twitter.com/d2bUQGvLMw
— POP CULTURE ENTHUSIAST (@northernlawd) August 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/SamieCoganie/status/1159197163739635713?s=20
#JadeGoody How we chewed her up and spat her out. Someone who just wanted to find a way out to something better.
— shaheen baig casting (@sbaigcasting) August 7, 2019
Prior to the media attention given to #cervicalcancer during the #JadeGoody case, young women were not permitted screening via smear tests. I had my life saved by cancer saving intervention but was deemed too young for the screening prog #jadegoody changed this and saved lives
— Cllr NualaKilleen (@NualaKilleenSD) August 7, 2019
Watching the #JadeGoody Documentary. What a rollercoaster life she had in such little time. It’s a pretty emotional watch. Yes, there was that dark period, but in the end, her fight and public awareness of Cervical Cancer saved lives and I applaud her for that.
— Chizzy (@chizzyakudolu) August 7, 2019
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain continues next Wednesday, August 14 on Channel 4.
