Jade Goody left behind two sons when she died aged just 27 in 2009 after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, but her story still serves as a stark reminder for young women to attend screenings

When Jade Goody died on March 22, 2009, aged just 27, she left behind two young sons, a grieving family and a public health legacy that continues to help thousands across the UK.

Goody rose to fame on the 2002 series of Big Brother, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of early reality television. Known for her candour and relatability, she built a media career that kept her firmly in the public eye. But it was the final chapter of her life that would prove her most significant.

In August 2008, while appearing on the Indian version of Big Brother, Goody received the devastating news that she had cervical cancer. Her diagnosis, later confirmed in the UK, was already serious.

Within months, the cancer had spread aggressively to other parts of her body, including her liver and bowel. Despite treatment, she was told the disease was terminal.

Goody chose to document her treatment, her deterioration, and ultimately her preparations for death. She married her partner shortly before she died, and made deliberate efforts to secure financial stability for her two sons, Bobby (born 2003) and Freddie (born 2004), whose father, television presenter Jeff Brazier, would go on to raise them.

Within months of her diagnosis and subsequent death, what became known as the 'Jade Goody effect' transformed public engagement with cervical cancer screening. Around half a million additional women attended smear tests in England during that period, a surge directly linked to media coverage of her illness.

Among younger women - those closest to Goody's age - the impact was particularly stark. Requests for smear tests among women in their late twenties rose by around a third, with tens of thousands seeking checks outside routine screening programmes.

Crucially, this was not just a short-term spike in attention. Research found that around 40 percent of women said Goody's story influenced their decision to attend screening, with the effect strongest among younger and less affluent groups.

The consequences were not merely statistical. The increase in screening led to hundreds of additional cancer detections, allowing earlier intervention and, in many cases, saving lives.

Cervical screening already prevents thousands of deaths each year in the UK, but Goody's story reversed a worrying decline in attendance, particularly among younger women. Her influence extended beyond clinical outcomes. In the days following her diagnosis, visits to cancer information websites surged dramatically - at one point increasing tenfold - as women sought to understand symptoms, risks, and prevention.

What had previously been a relatively under-discussed disease was suddenly part of the national conversation. By sharing her story in real time, she reached audiences who might otherwise have ignored official messaging.

Yet her legacy is also a reminder of the fragility of awareness. In the years following her death, screening rates have gradually declined again, particularly among younger women, highlighting how difficult it is to sustain behavioural change once the immediacy of a story fades.

Even so, the impact of Goody's life and death remains profound. Experts widely agree that the surge in screening she inspired will have saved hundreds of lives, with benefits continuing to be felt years later as early diagnoses translate into successful treatment outcomes.

Today, her story is still cited in campaigns encouraging women to attend cervical screening and to take symptoms seriously. A Cancer Research UK study in 2004 suggested that the screening programme had saved 100,000 lives since its introduction in 1988.

According to the charity: "Before Jade was diagnosed, the total number of pages viewed daily in our cervical cancer section was around 2,000 to 3,000. On the day of the news last year this jumped to over 32,000.

"Since then the daily visits have continued to be around two to three times higher than before her diagnosis was made public."

All women aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every 5 years.