The much publicised plight of Jade Goody has done a great deal to raise awareness of cervical cancer yet her decision to share her suffering with the press has been criticised by some who, it seems, would rather not be confronted by the sight of a bald, obviously sick woman in their newspapers each morning.
I haven’t always been a fan of Jade but you’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel for her as she makes preparations for her own death and says goodbye to her two young sons.
As a parent of young children I happen to agree with her decision to milk her celebrity for all it’s worth right to the very end in order to generate as much cash as possible for the little ones she’ll leave behind.
Can there be anything sadder than a young mother (or father come to that) having to bid their children farewell as they near death? If there is I can’t think of it. Those who criticize Jade for earning money for her story seem to miss the point that no degree of riches can console for the loss of a parent or the loss of a child.
Yet I can’t help thinking that Jade’s story has entered something of a vacuum at present. We’ve read about her suffering, we’ve seen the pictures of her wedding. What next? The story has gained so much momentum in recent weeks that there’s now a real feeling that the press are waiting for her to die.
I hope Jade’s passing isn’t imminent but I can’t help imagining that all the newspaper editors must be secretly hoping it is. I’m quite sure they all have their tributes and special features prepared. The pages are finished and ready to roll. They’re just waiting for the call from Max Clifford to tell them she’s gone.
Max, rather like Jade, isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but love him or loathe him you can’t deny he’s a man who knows how to handle the media. He’s been on our TV screens regularly over the past few weeks as Jade’s spokesman as her story has played out in the background to all our lives. My opinion is Max, who has himself been through cancer treatment, has played a blinder for Jade and has handled her story with the right balance of sympathy and pathos.
He and his client have drawn us all in and helped to ensure that when the end does come we’ll all be moved by the passing of a young woman from Bermondsey who became Britain’s ultimate reality TV star. As Ian Monk, writing in PR Week said, Jade has become the heir to Diana, the people’s Queen of Hearts. She’ll be missed.