Monday, 22 December 2008

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Jade Goody: I won't be a victim

With her trademark honesty, Jade speaks out about her battle with cancer

Radiotherapy is making Jade Goody feel terrible

Harsh radiotherapy is taking its toll on Jade Goody as she battles cancer.

But the brave reality TV star is doing her best to cope for the sake of her sons Bobby, five, and Freddy, four.

I won’t be a cancer victim,’ says Jade, 27, who was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer in August. ‘I will not let cancer get the better of me.’

There were tears and smiles as she revealed the truth about her battle on her Living show Jade on 11 December. She had a hysterectomy after it was revealed that the cancer had spread and is due to have chemotherapy in January.

‘I’m not in pain – it just takes it out of you,’ says Jade. ‘You feel a burning sensation, but nothing major. But the side-effects are sickness, diarrhoea and burn marks to my la-la and bum.’

Burns aren’t the only side-effect of radiotherapy and Jade confronts everything with the frankness that she’s known for.

‘The radiotherapy gurgles in my stomach and I’m scared that I might poo – it’s embarrassing,’ she confesses. ‘You get horrible sensations in your private parts and bottom and they peel.’

Jade is being given HRT-like patches, but with the male hormone testosterone, to raise her energy levels.

Her consultant has shockingly revealed that her chances of surviving the next three years are only 40 per cent because she has the most advanced form of cervical cancer.

But Jade’s managing to stay positive.‘I never appreciated my life because I didn’t think I had to,’ she says. ‘But now I realise that living’s a thing you only do once.’

See the full story about Jade Goody in Now magazine dated 22 December - out now!