During filming of an Indian version of "Celebrity Big Brother" in summer 2008, Ms. Goody received a diagnosis of cervical cancer by telephone from a doctor in Britain. The camera captured the deeply personal moment, which was shown repeatedly on TV.
The progress of her illness was chronicled in detail in the tabloid press and weekly magazines. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy in the public eye - filming part of the experience.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who heads the Church of England, said Ms. Goody showed a brave side in the face of death.
"If in her earlier career it was all about her, then I think at the end it was about something else," Williams said.
Bald and frail, Ms. Goody married fiance Jack Tweed last month in an elaborate event staged at an elegant countryside hotel outside London. The wedding was shown on television and the photos were sold, prompting criticism.
But Ms. Goody, who grew up in a poor London neighborhood, defended herself - saying she wanted her two young sons to have a better life than she had. Ms. Goody's father was a heroin addict who served jail time for robbery and died in 2005; her mother was a former crack addict who lost the use of an arm in a motorcycle accident.
"People will say I'm doing this for money," she said. "And they're right, I am. But not to buy flash cars or big houses - it's for my sons' future if I'm not here. I don't want my kids to have the same miserable, drug-blighted, poverty-stricken childhood I did."
Ms. Goody's publicist said last month that the cancer had spread to her liver, bowel, and groin.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday that Ms. Goody used her fame to help others.
"She was a courageous woman both in life and death, and the whole country have admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children," Brown said. He also praised her for her efforts, after her diagnosis, to raise awareness about cervical cancer and the need for screening.
