Viewers were disturbed that Jade Goody was given her cancer diagnosis on TV
Viewers of the final episode of Channel 4 Jade Goody documentary, Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain, were shocked to discover that the reality star was told of her cancer diagnosis while being filmed for TV.
Jade Goody was taking part in the Indian version of Big Brother in the summer of 2008 when she was told she had cervical cancer. The 27-year-old had gone on the show in a bid to rebuild her public profile, after viewers turned against her following the racism row involving Shilpa Shetty that played out in Celebrity Big Brother the year before.
Jade clashed with Bollywood actress Shilpa, and the public was disgusted when the Bermondsey-born reality TV star was filmed calling her housemate "Shilpa poppadom". Jade was evicted from the CBB house, and faced a furore about her apparent racist views when she came out.
The following summer, Jade's PR team organised for her to have a stint on India's Big Brother (known as Bigg Boss) so she could prove she wasn't, in fact, a racist. It was while she was on the programme that Jade was being filmed in the diary room being told by her doctor in London that she had "advanced and life-threatening" cervical cancer.
In a later interview, Jade is reported to have made it clear that she wasn't aware she was being filmed during such a devastating moment in her life. The Sun reports Jade said: "I had no idea that that conversation was being filmed… it was not right."
And by the looks of it, viewers completely agreed that it was entirely insensitive to film that moment for television broadcast. The decision was labelled "disgusting" by some, while others pointed out it was "unethical".
"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," wrote one tweeter during last night's documentary.
"APPALLING that they filmed that conversation," posted another.
"Absolutely heart breaking watching Jade Goody being filmed in India to give her that terrible news. What on earth were they thinking!!!!" added another viewer.
Six months after her initial diagnosis, Jade Goody's publicist confirmed the cancer was terminal, having spread to her liver, bowel and groin. Jade then began a campaign to campaign to raise awareness of the importance of smear tests in the prevention of cervical cancer, triggering 400,000 more women to book cervical screening appointments.
On 22 March, 2009 - one month after marrying her boyfriend Jack Tweed - Jade Goody died at her home in Essex. She was just 27.
As one viewer put it, Jade's was "a sad story".
"This has been a brilliant series," writer Darren Haywood tweeted. "It's not just been about Jade, it's been about the rise (and fall) of reality stars, class differences, racial ignorance, and of course cancer and the importance of being checked."
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