Jade Goody fans were left feeling ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘in tears’ when Channel 4 aired the Big Brother Shilpa Shetty race row in their documentary on Wednesday.
The second installment of Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain focused on Jade’s stint on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2007, where she, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara were accused of being racist towards Bollywood actress Shilpa.
Jade, who died in 2009 at the age of 27, has been remembered in the new Channel 4 documentary, with those who knew her discussing the star’s initial fall from grace and her legacy in raising awareness of cervical cancer.
Uncomfortable: Jade Goody fans were left feeling ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘in tears’ when Channel 4 aired the Big Brother Shilpa Shetty race row in their documentary on Wednesday
During the documentary, several scenes were aired in full, including when Jade called the actress ‘Shilpa Poppadom’ and mocked her for bleaching her facial hair.
Back in 2007, Ofcom received more than 44,500 complaints from the public (a record at the time) and the scenes caused just as much distress when they were aired again on Wednesday.
Such was the scandal at the time that although Shilpa did not lodge an official complaint about racist behaviour with Big Brother, her allegations compelled police to investigate the possible classification of her treatment as ‘racial hatred’.
Racism row: The second installment of Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain focused on Jade’s stint on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2007
Shocking scenes: Jade, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara were accused of being racist towards Bollywood actress Shilpa
Bullying: During the documentary, several scenes were aired in full, including when Jade called the actress ‘Shilpa Poppadom’ and mocked her for bleaching her facial hair, with Danielle giggling
One viewer wrote on Twitter: ‘Watching the #JadeGoody story is so sad and how different things were in 2007 it was so uncomfortable to watch again and handled really badly by channel 4 at the time. It’s such a sad story if only she was here today.’
Another added: ‘The scale at which the Race Row blew up was insane. So uncomfortable watching this back.’
A third viewer chimed: ‘Even though we’ve all seen the majority of that before, that was one of the most uncomfortable hours of TV I’ve watched in a long time. #JadeGoody’.
National outrage: Such was the scandal at the time that her allegations compelled police to investigate the possible classification of her treatment as ‘racial hatred’
Shocked: Back in 2007, Ofcom received more than 44,500 complaints from the public (a record at the time) and the scenes caused just as much distress when they were aired again
A fourth typed: ‘Watching theJade Goody doc. The Shilpa bullying is so uncomfortable to watch again. I remember it so clearly when it was first broadcast and it somehow seems 100x worse in 2019. No need. Jade wasn’t bad, but she was so ignorant. Have things changed? #JadeGoody’.
Discussing the controversy in the new documentary, Jade’s mother Jackiey revealed the reality star was convinced that she developed cancer as a result of her CBB stint.
According to The Sun: Jackiey recalled: ‘One night she felt really scared because, obviously, she knew she was going very soon.
‘She said, “Mum I feel like they’re coming to get me. They’re coming to get me. It’s going all dark”.
‘She said, “Is that because I was so bad in Big Brother?”‘
Jade was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 while she was appearing on the Indian version of Big Brother in a bid to make amends for the race row.
Looking back: Jade, who died in 2009 at the age of 27, has been remembered in the new Channel 4 documentary
After her diagnosis, Jade’s cancer spread to her bowel, liver and groin and she died on Mother’s Day in March 2009.
She left behind two sons, Bobby and Freddy, now 15 and 14, who are cared for by their father and Jade’s ex, Jeff Brazier.
In the year of Jade’s very public battle with cancer, just as attendance at screenings was beginning to decline, 0.4 million extra attendances occurred.
Downward spiral: Jade joined her mother Jackiey Budden and boyfriend Jack Tweed for a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007 (pictured with Davina McCall)
Amends: Jade was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 while she was appearing on the Indian version of Big Brother in a bid to make amends for the race row
Happier times: A former dental nurse, Jade sprang to overnight fame on Big Brother in 2002, with her success seeing her invited back onto the show five years later
Jade’s Legacy was a campaign set up to echo her call for more women to go for screening.
Now 10 years on from her death, the three-part Channel 4 documentary is set to look at her life both in and out of the spotlight.
The series is directed by award winning film maker Rob Coldstream, who said of the late star: ‘Jade was a hugely charismatic personality.
‘She made an indelible impact on our culture – and her incredible life story holds up a mirror to many of the big themes and preoccupations of our time – from fame and celebrity to race and gender politics.’
The final installment of Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain airs next Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4.
Tragic loss: Jade’s cancer spread to her bowel, liver and groin and she died on Mother’s Day in March 2009. She left behind two sons, Bobby and Freddy, now 15 and 14