Goody Two Shoes?
Jade Goody fell asleep on?Saturday night and died in the early hours of the?following day, which also happened to be Mother's Day.
It seems like even her death couldn't resist a final publicity stunt - bidding adieu on a day meant to celebrate motherhood.
Gordon Brown led the charge in?offering messages of support to her family, namely mother Jackiey, husband Jack and sons Bobby and Freddie.
Of course, she gained her fame as the foul mouthed yet dull former dental nurse on the Big Brother?3 in 2002?. Anyone remember "East Angular"? Not to mention her flowery reference to a "late night kebab".
Following BB she had promoters lining up outside her front door to fill up her bank account: cover deals and interviews in Heat and OK! magazines,?five fitness DVDs, two perfumes, and two bestselling autobiographies followed.
Yet when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she gained a monopoly over the tabloid front pages - pictures appearing every day, contradicted with her moaning?that she wanted to spend time with her family and her sons in particular.
Well, who forced her to pose for martyr-like pictures? Claims were made that she needed to make enough money to ensure her children were properly brought up.
But surely she already had enough in her bank account? The likes of?Heat and OK! don't pay a fiver for an interview.
People said she was bringing awareness to cervical cancer. Maybe that's true, but the amount of fuss involved isn't really going to help raise awareness.?A few interviews following her diagnosis would have done the trick.
But the day-in, day-out stories of her having to be brave actually overshadowed the bravery of many who have had to suffer through worse,?and without much money or attention.
If we're talking awareness, then how come we didn't see?more articles highlighting the symptoms of cervical cancer to help people identify their conditons in more advanced stages?
All we saw were snaps on pages all over newspapers. Never did we hear anything from her about how she wanted other victims of the disease to get it checked earlier by identifying with symptoms; something she failed to do.
It's highly unlikely Goody's publicised last days will help other cancer victims. If that ever changes, then we may be able to say Goody contributed to society in some way. Otherwise, it's been all about her.
Now the focus shifts (or at least after her funeral it will) onto the upbringing of her sons.
Apparently, their father Jeff Brazier and Jade's widower, Jack Tweed will both play a part in bringing up the kids.
Controversy may already be on the way though, as Brazier has publicly expressed doubts over Tweed's involvement due to his criminal record.
Tweed was convicted and jailed earlier this month for assaulting a taxi driver last year. Right now we'll probably have just Goody's funeral and her family coming to terms with reality to read about, but don't be surprised if by the end of the year we're bombarded by front page splashes of Brazier and Tweed battling it out in court over the custody of Jade's boys.
It's?more controversy in the making, and given the so many sympathisers of Goody we've suddenly discovered in the?UK alone, this may just turn out to be a sequel to?a never-ending saga.
LINKS :: www.cancerresearchuk.org ::?www.macmillan.org.uk :: Mirror.co.uk article?
