Doctors have found cancer cells affecting British television star Jade Goody's body outside her womb. Goody has had an eight-hour cancer operation Saturday.

According to The Sunday Mirror, surgeons found cancerous cells in a ligament behind Goody's uterus, which means the disease has reached "stage three", reports contactmusic.com.

The term "stage three" is used to describe cases where the cancer, which was originally diagnosed as cervical only, has spread beyond the initial area.

"The hysterectomy was successful but they found the cancer had spread. They had thought it was at stage two and contained in the womb. But it is worse than that, " a close friend of Goody revealed.

"It's not the news doctors were hoping for but they believe they have removed all the cancerous cells and she has a decent chance of making a full recovery, " the friend added.

It is now thought that Goody's chances of making a full recovery have dropped from 95 percent for stage two cancer to just over 50 percent because it is now in stage three.

She now faces a nine-week programme of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at London's Royal Marsden hospital.