The Jade Goody question: Is death a reality too far, even for British TV?

Published on Monday 16 February 2009 20:50

IT IS, perhaps, the ultimate taboo, where reality TV crosses the line and allows the viewer to witness the final hours of a young woman dying of cancer.

Poised to endure a painful death, Jade Goody has decided to have cameras film her daily battle with cancer for a programme on Living TV, leading many to believe she is the victim of exploitation. And her recent confession that she may allow the cameras to capture the moment of her death is, for many, a step too far.

Critics tell us such a move panders to morbid fascination, feeding the nation's insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip.

Perhaps so, but doctors seem convinced that Goody's plight will help to save lives by highlighting the issues surrounding cancer for the thousands of young people hooked on reality TV.

Goody, who found fame after appearing in Channel 4's Big Brother in 2002, was diagnosed with cervical cancer last August. Despite chemotherapy, the disease has spread to her liver, bowel and groin, and she was told by doctors last week that her cancer was terminal and she might have just weeks to live.

Of the possibility that her death might be filmed, Goody said: "I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them.

"I know some people don't like what I'm doing, but at this point I really don't care. Now, it's about what I want."

The 27-year-old and her boyfriend, Jack Tweed, 21, are expected to marry later this week and have been offered Sir Elton John's 20 million mansion near Windsor Castle as a possible venue.

Again at the centre of a tabloid frenzy, she is expected to sell pictures of her wedding to a magazine and put the money into a trust fund for her two sons.

Martin Hunt, the managing director of Tartan Silk PR, is appalled by the concept of a person's final hours being played out in the media spotlight, and said it was distasteful for people to profit from the most tragic of circumstances.

"I think we have crossed the line. People should have the dignity to die in peace, in a caring environment," he said.

"It's terribly distressing for a young person to die like that… but it's time to say reality TV has gone too far.

"This could be extremely traumatic for her children in the future, because… presumably they will feel the need to watch that programme."

Ted Brocklebank, MSP, the culture spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said the media attention appeared to give Goody a psychological boost, but he feared that could change dramatically as her condition deteriorated.

"She came into the public eye and this seems to have given her some kind of lift," he said. "But that becomes a separate matter if she wishes to have her death recorded. Other forces come into play and it's for the broadcasting authorities to step in.

"If they are harrowing final scenes, then, as a broadcaster, I would say no, there is a limit to this."

A similar ethical debate raged in December when a terminally ill man's dying moments as he ended his life by suicide were seen for the first time on British television. The Right to Die documentary, showing Craig Ewert's death at a Swiss euthanasia clinic, attracted widespread criticism. The decision allowing the documentary to be broadcast was condemned by television watchdogs and anti-euthanasia and pro-life campaigners.

Professor Sheila McLean, an expert in law and ethics in medicine at Glasgow University, rejects the idea that Goody needs protecting from the media or from herself.

She said: "I don't know she is any different from the man who let them watch his assisted suicide.

"It is a matter of personal choice. The programme producers have said they will withdraw at any stage if it is too distressing.

"She seems to have made her intentions clear before she has become incompetent. It's her body and she seems to be saying this is a way of making money for her children."

Prof McLean said the decision to have Goody's final hours filmed had to be taken in the context of her life as a star of reality TV.

"This is a way of her making money and she has limited other talents," she said. "She says it will also benefit people who will not make the mistakes she has made.

"Good on her. That would be a legacy that you wouldn't mind leaving behind."

Goody shot to fame as a contestant in Big Brother 3, becoming a figure of ridicule in the media and accused by the tabloids of being two-faced and ignorant. In 2007, she again made headlines for the wrong reasons when she was accused of racism towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother.

Her clash with Shetty prompted a flood of complaints – and led to Goody's appearance on India's version of the show, where she first learned she could have cancer.

The diagnosis propelled her back into the public eye, and she has continued to give wide-ranging interviews talking about her cancer battle. Living TV even commissioned a three-part series, which followed the celebrity and documented her coping with the illness.

Fiercely defending the decision to sell her story, Goody insisted she was trying to earn a living for her children.

In terms of the health-promotion message, it seems certain that her illness has reached a huge audience of young women who are failing to have regular health check-ups. Figures suggest that only 54 per cent of women in Scotland aged 20-25 opt for a smear test, but in recent weeks the celebrity's plight has led to an increase in the number of women seeking cervical screening.

Goody was approached by NHS Lanarkshire shortly after her diagnosis and she agreed to appear on the front cover of a glossy health promotion magazine, spreading the word on the importance of regular check-ups.

Dr Jennifer Darnborough, a consultant in public health with NHS Lanarkshire, dismisses the suggestion that the star's involvement is merely "tabloid fodder" and feels she could help to save thousands of lives.

"Jade Goody's story came out and we approached her," said Dr Darnborough. "I was a bit uncomfortable because I thought we shouldn't intrude on someone's personal life, but she had been very open about it in the media.

"At that stage things were more optimistic than they seem now. It is tragic, what has happened to her, but if there is a positive side, she has raised the profile of cervical cancer because a lot of young women don't know about it."

This is not the first time a high-profile celebrity health scare has captured the public's imagination. Singer Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005, helping to raise awareness about the illness for many young women.

According to Dr Darnborough, the screening laboratories in Scotland are busier than ever as the Goody debate rages.

"Anecdotally, the labs are saying there is a 10 per cent increase in smear tests being processed across Scotland.

"I feel incredibly sorry for her situation, but she has enabled the message to be promoted widely," said Dr Darnborough. "That can only be a good thing."

How the 'Kylie effect' put the health service under pressure

THE NUMBER of women who came forward to be screened for breast cancer soared after Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with the disease.

Now health chiefs are hoping the "celebrity effect" of former Big Brother star Jade Goody's high-profile fight against cervical cancer will help to give test numbers a much-needed boost.

Kylie, the Australian singer, was diagnosed in 2005 with breast cancer. A huge surge in public sympathy followed, as well as an enormous increase in breast screening, which was nicknamed the "Kylie effect" by medical professionals.

Although she was seriously ill, the singer battled the disease with chemotherapy and a succession of radiotherapy treatments.

Famously refusing to wear a wig, the "pixie look" replaced her trademark long blonde hair, and doctors said she inspired thousands of other young women who found themselves in the same predicament.

But in June last year, a study in Australia suggested that the publicity surrounding Kylie's breast cancer led to an over-burdening of health services, because of the alarm it caused among women.

According to a Melbourne University study, in the six months after her condition became public, the number of young women in Australia going for screening tests rose 33 per cent, while breast biopsies for those aged 25 to 44 rose 50 per cent.

It comes as the proportion of Scotswomen being screened for cervical cancer has fallen to its lowest level for more than a decade.

Figures released in October by NHS Scotland's Information Services Division (ISD) showed a drop from more than 80 per cent in the mid-1990s to fewer than 70 per cent. Between 2006-7 and 2007-8 alone, the actual number of women being tested fell by 30,000.

Experts put the alarmingly low figures down to lack of awareness about the disease and the life-saving potential of regular screening.

About 1,000 women every year die of cervical cancer in the UK, but experts say regular smear tests and early diagnosis can massively increase the chances of survival.