Jackie Goody breaks down over flashbacks of washing Jade's body

Jade Goody’s mother Jackie has given a tearful interview about the flashbacks she suffers over washing her daughter’s body after her death.

Speaking to This Morning, she broke down in tears at the beginning of the interview as she said that her memories of losing her daughter were just as raw 10 years on.

Jackie said: “People say it gets easier…it never gets any easier or it gets harder, it’s the same every day.

“The hardest thing is it don’t go away, and obviously because she’s very well known, it still don’t go away.

“Everyone praises me because of the legacy, but what I can’t get around is I was the one when she passed who bathed her, washed her, and I get that flashback all the time.”

She added: “You don’t bury your daughter or your son, to watch her disintegrate was the worst. But as much as I miss her, I’m so pleased she’s out of pain, that’s what I pray for every time.”

In March 2009, Jade lost her battle with cervical cancer and in the year following her death, a campaign to increase the numbers of women taking up their smear tests lead to 400,000 going along to their appointments.

But Jackie said that the numbers of women going to their tests had started to drop off again 10 years on from her daughter’s passing and made an emotional plea for women to attend their appointments.

She said: “Jade’s legacy, it’s like a kick in the teeth really because it’s gone down, the smear test rate has really dropped because people are embarrassed or scared. I can understand scared, but not embarrassed.

“When you’re having babies and you have internals with doctors, there’s no such thing as embarrassed. I don’t understand the embarrassment bit, I think that’s an excuse.

“I’ve never, ever missed one.”

Read more
Theresa May talks about smear test experience
Tories pledge fast-track cancer diagnosis service
Father given months to live is cancer-free after groundbreaking op