Читать книгу Jade Goody: How It All Began - My First Book - Jade Goody - Страница 15

I didn’t have very long as a singleton because very soon there was another man in my life – Jack Tweed.

Only he was actually more of a boy. But we’ll get to that part in a bit.

I first met Jack in a nightclub in 2005, just before the time Jeff and I began trying to patch things up (unsuccessfully, as it turned out). Back then I thought it was just one of those encounters that nothing came of. I don’t remember much about that evening, only that I couldn’t help noticing how good-looking he was (but that was the extent of my lust – honest, Jeff!). All my mates were eyeing him up that evening, so he became quite the topic of conversation. Jack and I kept catching each other’s eye, which made me go a bit shy, believe it or not. Then Jen decided to go over and talk to him and give him my phone number. I was mortified because I could see them both talking about me and looking over. I hate stuff like that, it makes me cringe. So I legged it out of the club because I couldn’t stand to watch them.

But I still wanted to know what he’d said about me. When Jen came out she told me he thought I was ‘fit’ and had asked for my number, which she put in his phone. She didn’t get his for me, but I thought it was better that way because at least then if he called I’d know he was keen. The next day I let it go out of my mind, convinced I wouldn’t hear from him. After that Jeff and I started growing closer, so I forgot about Jack completely.

Then, at the V Festival in 2005, just before I heard the shocking news about my dad’s death, I got a text from Jack. Jeff and I were still not officially an item at this point, but things were definitely heading that way. But when I got the text, even though it only said, ‘Where are you?’, I have to admit I got butterflies. I was a bit drunk (OK – I was plastered), so I decided to ring him back. I don’t think I would’ve been able to type a reply that made sense anyway. He answered, ‘Hello?’ and I said, ‘Who’s this?’

‘It’s Jack,’ came the reply.

Of course I already knew it was him, plus I didn’t know any other Jacks.

Then he suddenly said, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to ring you back ’cos I’m at a football game.’

Fine, I thought, and forgot about it because I was focused on Jeff.

After things finally ended with Jeff, I met Jack again, in the same club as before – 195. I ignored him all night because I was embarrassed. He kept looking at me but I didn’t know what his game was because he hadn’t called me back after V. Jen was with me again and insisted on going over to speak to him. Well, I wasn’t going to stand there on the other side of the room again like a lemon, so I went with her. I mumbled, ‘All right?’ and he immediately replied, ‘You’re with Jeff, aren’t you?’, so I explained that we’d tried to make a go of things but it hadn’t worked out. It turned out that Jack had read about us being together at V and that’s why he hadn’t called again. So once again we attempted to swap numbers. All I knew was that I really fancied him. But even then I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. And I certainly didn’t know he was six years younger than me. Jack told me he was 22, and a football agent. I didn’t think to question him.

We went on a few dates after that and things started progressing. Then one day Jen called me up and said, ‘I’ve been doing my research and on the internet someone’s written, “Jade Goody’s dating Jack Tweed and he’s only 18.”’ Saying, ‘He’s a liar!’, she ordered me to ring him up pronto.

So I did as I was told – I called and confronted him.

There was no hesitation. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s total rubbish,’ Jack answered.

I wanted to believe him, so that was it, I was convinced.

I’d say our first proper date was a few days after that. Jack booked us a room in the Sanderson Hotel in the West End, and it was on this night that we first had sex. I hadn’t expected to be treated to a fancy hotel – I’m used to paying for most things with guys – so I thought it was really sweet. We went on one of those funny rickshaws round town, then to a club, and spent most of the evening laughing and joking.

About two months into our relationship my PR, Katherine Lister, told me she’d had a phone call from the News of the World. They were going to run a story revealing Jack’s real age. The headline was something to the tune of ‘Jade’s toyboy lover – 18’. I felt sick. It meant that all this time he’d been lying to me.

And I hate liars.

I rang him up, shaking. I tried to be as calm as possible, though. ‘Before I ring my publicist and tell her she’s got her facts wrong,’ I said, ‘you need to answer me one question: how old are you, Jack?’

Silence.

Please don’t say you’re 18, I kept thinking. Please don’t say you’re 18! The problem was, in true me style, I then went and got my words muddled up. Instead of saying, ‘Swear on my life that you’re not 18’, I said, ‘Swear on my life that you’re 18.’

There was a pause. Then came the confused reply, ‘Er, what?’

So I said it again. ‘Swear on my life that you’re 18.’

He of course answered, ‘Jade, I am. I’m 18.’

I screamed a bit, then put the phone down. I was mortified. Not to mention shocked. I found out later that his mum Mary had been telling him for weeks that he needed to confess. She knew it was only a matter of time before I found out. Maybe I should’ve sussed myself, but he acted so much older and I didn’t have any reason to suspect he’d lie.

After a few minutes Jack called me back and tried to explain (although it took me a while before I actually stopped yelling and started to listen). He just kept saying, if it worked for Cameron and Justin (they were together at the time), why not for us? Age was just a number, he said, and I acted younger than him most of the time anyway. He had a point. But I still couldn’t get my head round it. I kept thinking, When I was on Big Brother Jack was still at school. When I was giving PJ a blow job he was doing his homework! Eventually I calmed down a bit and he explained that he’d wanted to tell me for ages but was too scared. He said he didn’t think we’d have lasted as long as we had and that when things started getting serious he didn’t want to ruin it.

Somewhere along the way he’d also told me he was half-Italian and adopted. Why he said he was adopted I don’t know – nor does he. How he thought that little admission was going to woo me is beyond comprehension. But the Italian thing I could understand. It’s just a shame he’s so shit at covering his tracks. He rolled over in bed one night and I saw his bum was completely white.

‘You’re not half-Italian at all!’ I laughed. ‘You got that from sunbeds!’

Only once we’d got to the truth of everything could we begin with a proper relationship. And after that, for a long while, the age thing was never a problem.

And Jack was pretty special too. Even before I knew how good he was with my children I’d fallen for him. Yes, he’s good-looking and, yes (I’m running the risk of sounding like Jordan here), he’s got a lot of stamina – there are some bonuses to being young! He made me feel happy and alive. We laughed loads and rarely argued. Besides, I was a mother of two – which meant he’d taken on far more than I had. The best thing was that he genuinely wasn’t interested in the fame game at all, which drew me to him even more. Jack was only young but he was more content sitting in at home with me and watching telly than he was hanging out with his mates. Plus he was better with my kids than I could ever possibly imagine. I think it was because he was so carefree himself. I remember falling asleep one afternoon and waking up to see him and Bobby at the foot of the bed dressed in matching Superman outfits. I loved it.

Jeff’s way of dealing with it all was to do a magazine interview. In it he said something along the lines of ‘I don’t know why Jade’s with Jack, maybe it’s because she’s young herself. I feel like his father.’

I thought it was all quite bitter at the time, especially as he’d moved on himself and had another girlfriend. I told him afterwards he should just be happy for me and pleased that our children have got someone they feel comfortable with. Luckily he seemed to see sense and it’s never been awkward between Jeff and Jack since. They were never best friends but we all hung out together when the children were involved, because that was when it was important to be grown up about things.

Jack and I were first properly papped when we went to the Bahamas on holiday. We had such a laugh there. That’s when he laid down the law about my wobbly bits. He suddenly announced, ‘Now I’m your boyfriend, no more tits out.’

I nearly choked on my pina colada. ‘But when I’m sunbathing I don’t want to get white triangles!’ I argued.

But he was adamant. And my boobs didn’t get to see the light of day after that. In a way I liked the fact that he didn’t want other men looking at me that way. I respected him for it.

My first Christmas with Jack was amazing. OK! magazine flew the two of us and the boys to Lapland for a magazine shoot. It was so magical there – the kids loved it. I’d always wanted to go, but I have to admit I was disappointed by Santa because he was wearing a green outfit, not a red one. Someone told me afterwards that it was meant to be green in the first place and it was only because of some Coca-Cola advert back in the 1930s that Santa’s costume turned red. But I didn’t believe them. The trip wasn’t the most romantic, though, as there was no adult time, and because it was the start of our relationship Jack and me were gagging for it (time alone, that is, not what you think). So one night when the kids were asleep I suggested we went out for a naked run in the snow. If anyone had seen us they’d have had a heart attack. We were throwing snowballs at each other and doing stupid poses. It was hilarious. And cold.

In typical cheesy fashion, the day I realised I actually loved Jack was Valentine’s Day. We’d planned a big romantic evening. He was paying for the hotel and I was treating us to dinner at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges. He did offer to pay for everything but I knew that would mean he’d be skint for the rest of his life. And I could afford it. Obviously I’d left it until the last minute to get his present, though, and was still rushing around Selfridges at four that afternoon trying to find him something. In the end I settled on a lovely pair of designer shoes. They were really cool. I didn’t have time to wrap them up, so I plonked them on the bed in the hotel, still in the bag from the shop.

We decided to leave the present-giving until after dinner so that we had something to look forward to. The restaurant was amazing, and soooo posh! When we walked in I saw Jimmy Carr and his missus, who said hi and smiled, and a few tables away there was Jonathan Ross and his wife. Jonathan’s always so lovely to me and that night was no different, although I’m sure he must secretly have thought, Bloody hell, we come in here to get away from the likes of her!

Jack was more overwhelmed and nervous than impressed. And I found that really sweet. The food was gorgeous (well done, Gordon) and we felt a bit tipsy by the time we got back to the hotel. Which was just as well, because I had to gear myself up for giving Jack a special treat. Earlier in the week I’d bought myself a load of saucy underwear from Agent Provocateur and was going to surprise him with it later. Not that I had it on under my dress already, of course. That would have made far too much sense. It was all still in a carrier bag under the hotel bed, so I was going to have to sneak off and change somehow. But first it was present time.

The hotel, in Kensington, was gorgeous. I’d always wanted to stay at the Baglioni because that’s where Mariah Carey stays (and if you know me you’ll know what a massive fan of hers I am). When we were back in our room, which was all dark and mysterious-looking, Jack pulled out a bag and got out these beautifully wrapped presents and carefully placed them on the bed. He’d gone to so much trouble – they were red and all had individual ribbons round them. I looked at my effort – a pair of shoes dumped in a Selfridges bag. Oops.

I opened mine first. The first thing I unwrapped was a little dainty necklace that I’d seen Victoria Beckham wearing – it was a bronze-coloured solid heart with a little ribbon and a pearl round it. I was really taken aback and touched.

Next was a brown velvet clutch bag with a big clasp at the front, which I fell in love with immediately. Then I got the Arctic Monkeys CD that I really wanted. Finally I opened the last present – a belt.

It was vile. It had the biggest buckle on it I’ve ever seen and my immediate reaction was: ‘What do you want me to do with this then? If I put it round my waist my trousers will fall down, it’s so heavy!’

Jack laughed and started trying to pretend his mum had chosen it, which I knew was a lie. Bless him.

‘OK – where’s mine then?’ he grinned and I sheepishly handed him the carrier bag apologising for my lack of wrapping paper. He opened it up and pulled out the shoes. There was a long pause as he looked at them.

‘Jade?’

‘Yeah?’

‘I’m 18 – not 80.’

‘What the fuck do you mean?’ I said, laughing. ‘They’re nice shoes!’

‘For a granddad maybe. Look at them!’

I tried to persuade him they were designer and cool but in the end we had to agree to disagree. He hated them. We both started cracking up.

Then it was time for my surprise. I put the telly on and switched it to MTV to divert him, then sneakily grabbed the bag with my lingerie in.

‘I’m just going to the bathroom – won’t be long.’

God, I didn’t realise how fiddly this saucy underwear lark was. It took me for ever to do the suspenders up. I had a black frilly basque, crotchless knickers, stockings … the works. But I was so long in there Jack started shouting, ‘Jade! What the fuck are you doing in there? Hurry up!’

‘I’ll be out in a minute!’

I wanted to make sure the stocking seams were straight but they kept going all twisted. I should’ve known it was a catastrophe waiting to happen. I hadn’t thought about how I was going to do the big reveal. What was I thinking? Should I just throw open the door and say, ‘Ta da!’ or what? What if he just laughs? I should’ve waited until I was more drunk.

I grabbed the door handle. Gulp. I felt like a right tit. I couldn’t have picked a worse moment. There I was standing in the entrance trying to do my best seductive pose and Jack was glued to the TV set, dancing wildly in his little white pants and singing along to George Michael.

I closed the door again.

He must’ve heard the slam. ‘Jade – what are you doing in there?’ he asked.

So I took a deep breath and I walked out, still to the tune of ‘You gotta have faith, faith, faith’. Jack stopped in his tracks and we both pissed ourselves laughing.

‘I feel like such a plonker!’ I laughed. Tears were streaming down our cheeks, it was so funny.

Eventually we calmed down and lay on the bed. One of Beyonce’s slow songs was playing in the background, and we started kissing. Suddenly I gave way to the urge to blurt out, ‘I love you,’ and I started crying. It was so emotional. Jack looked at me and smiled, ‘I love you too, Jade.’

It might’ve been a messy beginning but it couldn’t have ended more perfectly.

For ages after that night, whenever we heard the song ‘Faith’ we pissed ourselves laughing.

The boys were falling in love with Jack too. Bobby was also falling in love with the colour pink for a while, which was slightly worrying. Until he was about two I let his hair grow long, so he looked like a little girl at the best of times, but then he began wanting me to put it up in bunches or ponytails. And he was constantly picking up Hoovers and brooms like a little housewife. He even asked for a doll at one point, to which I replied, ‘B, can’t you have an action man?’ He’s a very sweet and sensitive little boy and I wouldn’t change the way he is for the world, but I did begin to wonder how he might turn out. His girlie phase was short-lived, though. As soon as I cut his hair short he turned into a proper little boy. His speech came on miles and he started digging up holes and playing soldier games. Phew.

Jack was like a big kid himself really. And he seemed to have a thing for buying me animals as presents. No matter how many times I told him that I couldn’t stand a messy house, he seemed intent on ignoring me. Not long after we were first going out I came home one day and he met me at the front door with a broad grin. ‘I’ve got you a surprise!’

‘What is it?’

I walked inside and there was a budgie screeching in a cage.

‘The boys love him. We’ve named him Jimmy,’ said Jack.

Not only was it bloody noisy but it seemed to be spitting birdseed out and making a mess all over my conservatory.

‘You’re responsible for cleaning it up,’ I said.

A few days later I was tidying the house and had the windows open. How was I to know that Jimmy’s cage wasn’t locked? He flew out. Oops.

Jack was convinced I’d done it on purpose. ‘You’ve let him into the wild. He’s going to die. You’ve killed him!’ he moaned.

In my old house we also had a pond and I’d bought some pike to go in there. One was called Custard and Bobby loved him. But I was told when I got them that no other fish or water creatures were allowed to go in the pond with them, as it would upset the balance or something. I made sure Jack knew this full well. Or so I thought.

Until I got back from the shops one day.

‘Surprise!’

‘Jack, what have you done?’

He’d bought me two terrapins and put them in the pond.

The next morning I went down to the pond to find the fish dead and this terrapin floating on the surface with stuff leaking out of it like something out of a horror movie. The whole pond had been contaminated.

A slightly nicer present came in the form of Batman. A little dachshund that Jack bought me for Valentine’s one year. Even he nearly ended up with one paw missing – but I’ll tell you about that later.