Born as Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody on June 5, 1981, her mother Jackiey Budden raised her as a single parent after her father left them when she was just two years old.

Goody had openly spoken about her troubled childhood and her struggle to get an education saying that her poverty- ridden early days prompted her to secure a better future to her two sons -- Bobby and Freddy from a relationship with TV presenter Jeff Brazier.

Goody worked as a dental nurse before gaining popularity by appearing on the Channel 4 reality show 'Big Brother' in 2002.

Though she was ridiculed by the media for being ignorant, the star maintained a steady popularity and finished fourth in the show.

Goody maintained her fame by starring in many other reality shows, featuring in gossip columns and women magazines and launching new products while other Big Brother contestants were soon forgotten by the public. In the process, she went on to win millions.

She also published her autobiography in 2006 titled "Jade: My Autobiography" and launched her own fragrance "Shh...Jade Goody".

She re-entered the celebrity edition of 'Big Brother' with her mother Jackiey and boyfriend Jack Tweed in 2007 where Indian actress Shilpa Shetty also participated.

While on the show, Goody gained notoriety for allegedly bullying and racially abusing Shilpa, with the episode snowballing into an international controversy. Goody was soon evicted from the show and producers Channel 4 issued a statement denying racial abuse charges.

She became a villain in the eyes of Indian public with the media splashing the pictures of a crying Shilpa.

The issue became so huge that British broadcasting regulator Ofcom received a record of more than 44,500 complaints from audiences.

The allegations affected Goody's meteoric rise as a popular star in Britain. She later lamented her outbursts against Shilpa in an interview with Davina McCall saying she was "disgusted with self".

Her perfume was withdrawn from the shelves soon after the racism controversy and the publication of her autobiography was also stopped.

In her effort to improve her image, Goody decided to appear on the Indian version of Big Brother, ‘Bigg Boss’, which was anchored by Shilpa.

And Goody was still in India when she received news that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer. The star left the show to return to UK to begin treatment.

Goody became a national hero after she decided to go public with her struggle with the deadly disease on Living TV.

She continued to give interviews about her day-to-day battle with cancer. The star was initially slammed for selling her story to the media but she hit back saying she wanted to provide a better future for her two children, which further propelled her into the public eye.

She married boyfriend Tweed on February 22 in a lavish ceremony. The star reportedly received one million for selling the exclusive rights to ‘Hello!’ magazine to film her marriage.

After being told that her cancer had become terminal in February, the star shocked the world by saying that she may allow her last moments to be captured on camera. "I've lived my whole adult life talking about my life.

The only difference is that I'm talking about my death now. It's OK," she told the News of the World.