The news was broken to the 27-year-old mother-of-two while she was appearing in the Indian version of Big Brother.

She was called into the Diary Room to speak to her UK doctor who told her the results of a recent biopsy.

Her spokesman, Mark Thomas, said: "It is pretty obvious that she was looking forward to her time in the house but her health is the first priority and she is flying back for treatment and more tests."

It is understood Goody has been having tests for some time due to concerns about her health following a series of mystery collapses but doctors had, until now, been unable to find the cause.

A spokeswoman for Max Clifford Associates said doctors had diagnosed Goody with cervical cancer.

Celebrity publicist Max Clifford told GMTV: "The most important thing is to get her back with people who care for her.

"It is dreadful but the irony of it is that Shilpa Shetty was instrumental in inviting Jade on the show, it was a great opportunity and something she was really looking forward to."

It is believed she went on the Indian show to try to make amends after being accused of racism on last year's Celebrity Big Brother.

The show features 12 Indian celebrities and is hosted by Shetty, 33, the Bollywood star who won the hearts of viewers after being bullied by Goody and other housemates.

Goody was thought to be earning up to £100,000 for her appearance on the show, called Bigg Boss.

Ofcom received more than 50,000 complaints about the alleged racist bullying by Goody, Danielle Lloyd and former S Club singer Jo O'Meara, with Goody referring to Shetty as "Shilpa Poppadom".

After Goody was evicted, she said she was "embarrassed and disgusted" by her behaviour in the house but denied she was a racist.

Goody's money-spinning contracts dried up - her perfume, Shh..., was taken off the shelves and publishers decided to drop a paperback edition of her autobiography.

Gordon Brown, who was then Chancellor, was forced to defend Britain as a "country of fairness and tolerance" and the TV star visited India, where her effigy had been burnt during the race row.

>> Vote in our latest web poll