Big Brother's Cinderella: Jade Goody

By Super Admin

By: Arya Aiyappan
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

A show rocketed her to the top and a couple of years later the very show has plummeted her so low that she can scarcely find enough breathing space amidst hostile surroundings. The very name Jade Goody today evokes revulsion towards one who is an anti-humanist and accused of racial harassment. It is indeed interesting to note the trajectory of growth of Jade Goody who epitomizes the adage "from rags to riches".

A Cinderella fable of how a dental nurse shot to fame after having participated in the third series of the UK version of Big Brother in 2002. During her stay then the British press condemned her for allegedly knocking out other contestants and for her lack of General knowledge with her ever-infamous description of Saddam Hussein as a boxer. In spite of all the blunders and misgivings, her tryst with media earned her an estimated 8 million fortune. Goody was even conferred the title of being the 4th worst person in Britain in the poll "100 Worst Britons" in 2002. On 2nd May 2006 she published her autobiography entitled Jade: My Autobiography, launched her brand of perfume Shh... in June and released a new fitness video Jade's Shape Challenge in December.

Jade made an entry into Celebrity Big Brother in 2007 along with her mother Jackiey Budden and boyfriend Jack Tweed. Hardly had she entered the house when she began racially abusing her fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty, a famous Bollywood actress. Jade was accused of making racist comments by branding the actress as "Shilpa Poppadom", "Paki", "Dog" and remarking that her very presence makes "her skin crawl". In retaliation against her racial comments her perfumes were withdrawwn from most of the leading shops. Eventually she was evicted from the house on 19th January with 82% votes against her. Her family members came up wih mixed reponses regarding her attitude, with her grandmother Jacqueline remarking: "What she said to Shilpa was unforgivable. Her dad was mixed race and her grandfather black. They'd be ashamed" and her mother Jackiey Budden, commenting: "Jade has never been racist, she is mixed race herself and suffered racist abuse as a youngster." Ironically as a youngster she was expelled from Bacon's College, Rotherhithe, for biting off the ear of one her fellow classmates.

At the stroke of the ill-fated hour, the spell broke, the charm vanished and the 25-year-old Jade was left completely shattered. Disgusted with herself after seeing the video clippings of the racial bullying episode and the public protest against her she tended an apology to Shilpa Shetty on the national Television. A traumatized Goody was seen promising to donate her 50,000 fee from CBB and her 50,000 interview fee from the "News of the World" and any other fees gained to charity causes nominated by her and Shilpa Shetty.

Treated by doctors for 'shock and depression', Jade goody is on the verge of commiting suicide. Her agent John Noel criticized the media for "doing to Jade what Jade is accused of doing to Shilpa." A desperately pathetic Jade is pleading before the media, "I just want to get it clear to everybody out there that I am not a racist. My biggest fear is that my kids will be rejected - not that I'll never work again. I hadn't much to lose before, but I have now. I have got two children - I don't want them rejected because of me," As luck would have it, the reality show that made her has marred her!

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