ZapGossip

HPV vaccine could have saved Jade Goody, claims Jeff Brazier

Jade Goody’s life could have been saved if she’d had the HPV vaccine, according to her ex-partner Jeff Brazier.
The former ‘Big Brother’ star tragically passed away in 2009 at the age of just 27 after losing her battle with cervical cancer and now Jeff – with whom she had two sons Bobby, 13, and Freddie, 12 – is campaigning to raise awareness for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which can prevent cervical cancer from developing.
Jeff, 37, was appearing on daytime ITV show ‘Loose Women’ with Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr. Christian Jessen to inform women about the vaccine.
When asked if the vaccine could have prevented Jade’s death, the television presenter said: "It would have altered the course, almost definitely."
HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which is known to potentially lead to cancer in women, and Jeff is now campaigning to raise for the link between the disease and male cancers.
He added: "Jade’s cancer was HPV, in boys you’re more likely to see neck and throat cancer, anal cancer and penile cancer."
In the UK, the HPV vaccine is now available to males between the ages of 12 and 44 for a small fee, and Jeff has already started talking to his sons about getting them protected.
Revealing the conversation he had with his eldest child, he shared: "When I told him there was a link to mum’s cancer – it had his interest."
Jade is never far from Jeff and his sons’ thoughts and he previously revealed that they have a "mummy day" once a month in memory of Jade.
The professional life coach – who split from Jade in 2004 – said: "On the 15th of each month that’s ‘mummy day’. We can talk about her obviously at any time and we do, but the 15th of the month means we are particularly focused on it.
"We will release balloons or we’ll write letters and post them, whether they think they are going to get there or not it doesn’t matter, it’s expressing. It’s writing those memories down, those thoughts and those feelings and even if it’s sad and something that you perceive as being negative, it’s not hurting them. It’s hurting them more not to talk about it than it is to actually put it down on paper and do something with it."