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British Reality TV star was christened before cancer claimed her life

Terminally ill British reality-TV star Jade Goody was christened with her two sons Bobby and Freddy in a "very short and emotional service," two weeks before she died March 22 of cervical cancer, reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

Goody's publicist Max Clifford said the "very pale and fragile" Goody was in a wheelchair and assisted by nurses during the service at London's Royal Marsden Hospital, according to a BBC News report.

The mother-of-two, who starred in the controversial reality-TV show "Big Brother," had only weeks to live after her cervical cancer spread to her liver, groin and bowel, the BBC said.

The service was carried out by hospital chaplain Chris Lee and Corinne Brixton, vicar of St John's church in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, near Goody's home. It had been hoped the ceremony would take place in a church, but Goody, 27, had been heavily sedated, the BBC said.

Christening, or infant baptism, is a practice carried out in many mainline denominations such as the Church of England, during which water is poured on the head of an infant held over the church's baptismal font.

At the time, Clifford said the ceremony would be the last thing reality TV star Goody would do in the public eye. He added that she had had a "smile and a kiss for everyone who was there."

Her sons, Bobby, five, and Freddy, four, were brought to the hospital in west London by their father Jeff Brazier. Goody was diagnosed with cervical cancer in August 2008.

The BBC said Goody's husband Jack Tweed and her mother, Jackiey Budden, were also present at the ceremony, along with other members of her family.

Clifford said: "It was in my mind that she was saying a final goodbye to some people. Jade was obviously very happy with the whole thing; Jeff was there on one side, Jack was there on the other side, and it was a very short and emotional service.

"I think everybody knew just how important it was to Jade."

After the christening, Clifford said he believed Goody had enjoyed the service.

"She finds it very hard to stay awake for more than a few minutes but she stayed awake for the 20 minutes of the service," he told the BBC at the time.

"It was a very positive atmosphere, after each of the boys were christened everyone clapped and after Jade was christened everyone clapped again. It was a very simple service. There were prayers and blessings and a few short readings."

Earlier Clifford had said Goody's two sons were not fully aware of what was going on, the BBC reported.

"They know their mother is very ill and that is something the family will help them with. The boys will get a party as soon as they can. I think the intention is to take them out today," he commented at the time.

Clifford said photographs taken of the service would be published in OK! magazine at a later date.

Goody, a dental assistant turned reality-TV star whose whirlwind journey from poverty to celebrity to tragedy became a national soap opera and morality tale in Britain, died in her sleep early Sunday (March 22) at her home in Essex, southeast England. The sad news was confirmed by her publicist Max Clifford.

In just a matter of months, Goody turned into one of Britain's most popular celebrities by waging a war against cancer in full view of the press.

www.Popeater.com says Goody had first gained fame at age 21 in 2002, when she joined the reality television show "Big Brother," in which contestants live together for weeks in full view of the camera.

"Loud and brash, Goody became a highly divisive star -- initially mocked as an ignorant slob, then celebrated as a forthright everywoman by a hungry tabloid press," the tabloid website stated.

"It was a pattern of praise and condemnation that followed her for the rest of her life. Goody became a national touchstone, who sparked debate about race, class and celebrity in Britain."

Popeater.com says it was during filming of the Indian version of the show in the summer of 2008 that Goody received a diagnosis of cervical cancer by telephone from a doctor in Britain.

"The camera captured the deeply personal moment, which was shown repeatedly on TV in Britain, though not in India. The progress of her illness was chronicled in detail in the tabloid press and weekly magazines, to the unease of many," the website said.

"Goody isn't rich or famous because she won the lottery: she's rich and famous because we bought all those papers and magazines and ghosted books with her on the cover, because we watched her television series, because we cheered when she was good and booed when she was bad, because we sat around discussing her over lunch," wrote columnist India Knight in The Sunday Times. "Now she's dying, she's making us all feel bad so we want her to go away, like a broken toy that's stopped being fun."

The tabloid website says that in February, a bald and frail Goody, married fiancee Jack Tweed in an elaborate event staged at an elegant countryside hotel outside London. She reportedly sold the photos for more than $1 million.

"The bride had painkillers stashed inside her designer dress. When she felt unable to stand about half an hour into the 45-minute service, she sat down, her husband-to-be knelt beside her, and her two young sons scrambled onto her lap," her spokesman said.

"It was just a very beautiful, very moving service," publicist Clifford said.

"I was so happy when Jack proposed," Goody told OK! "For that split second, I forgot all about the cancer, forgot all about the pain."

Goody put the joyous day in perspective following the ceremony. "I've had the happiest day of my life," she exclaimed. "Now I'm ready to go to Heaven."

Before her rise to fame, Goody worked for a period as a dental nurse. She had an unhappy childhood in a poor south London neighborhood. Her father was a heroin addict who served jail time for robbery and died in 2005, her mother a former crack addict who lost the use of an arm in a motorcycle accident, a story on the tabloid website said.

"While many empathized with Goody as she underwent surgery and chemotherapy in the public eye -- filming part of the experience for another television series -- she still inspired vitriol in others. A Web site was even set up, devoted to predicting when she would die," the Popeater.com website explained.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday that Goody used her fame to help her two young sons and many women she did not know.

"She was a courageous woman both in life and death and the whole country have admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children," Brown said, adding: "She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her and her family can be extremely proud of the work she has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer."

FOX News.com said that although many praised Goody in recent months for the way in which she handled her illness, she was "mocked in the press during her stint on 'Big Brother' for her weight, her big mouth and her apparent lack of general knowledge."

FOX News.com added: "She didn't win the show, but she earned millions through television and magazine appearances, an autobiography, a perfume and a series of exercise videos."

Goody is survived by Tweed and her two sons Bobby and Freddie, with an ex-boyfriend, television presenter Jeff Brazier. She also is survived by her mother, Jackiey Budden.

Budden told reporters Sunday: "Family and friends would like privacy at last."

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TAGS: United Kingdom reality-TV star Jade Goody Jeff Brazier Jack Tweed "Big Brother" cervical cancer infant baptism christening

[03/23/2009]

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