British reality show star Jade Goody has revealed that she ignored a letter stating that she needed to have abnormal cells removed from her cervix because she was too scared to go back to hospital.

Goody, who is now fighting advanced cervical cancer, had already had three abnormal smear tests after enduring an operation to remove the cells, reports Daily Mail.

After her fourth abnormal smear, she ignored a letter urging her to return to hospital, instead hoping the disease would go away on its own.

"When I heard I had more abnormal cells, I thought this is the fourth time I have been told I need to have the same operation now, " she told Heat Magazine.

"Once you have them burnt off they should not come back, but I was too scared, " she added.

It was after she collapsed from blood loss Aug 5, for the fourth time in four years, that she realised she couldn't ignore her condition.

"The doctors were doing tests for my blood loss but they seemed unclear about what it could be. It was then that I was told I must have another operation on the dodgy cells on my cervix. They had sent a letter to me ages ago, telling that I needed to go in for an operation, but I had been too scared to do anything about it, " Goody confessed.

Goody first had an abnormal smear test when she was 16-years-old.

"Even before I was sexually active, I had to have pre-cancerous cells removed. That nearly traumatised me for life, it was so painful, " she contended.

After collapsing early this month, Goody was warned that she could be facing a terminal illness, but she decided to go ahead to participate in the second season of Indian reality show "Bigg Boss".

She reasoned that the 100, 000 pounds fee that she was getting would be needed to raise her two young sons if she fell ill.

Goody cut short her appearance in the show and returned to London after being diagnosed with the ailment.

She is now due to have an urgent hysterectomy to remove her womb, followed by an intensive course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.