Brand says

Rex Features

Russell Brand has claimed that the "intense hatred" that Jade Goody faced over the Shilpa Shetty race row may have contributed to her cancer.

The comic told Time Out that he believes the media tends to simplify situations, adding that the attention he and Jonathan Ross received surrounding the Manuelgate controversy was a prime example.

He said: "They just want to simplify things. Like with the Jade Goody situation. I personally think that poor young woman would not have developed cancer had she not been the focus of such intense hatred - malevolent hatred - for such a long period of time. And now, it's convenient for the narrative to like her again. It just sickens me."

Goody was accused of racism when she and Shetty appeared on Celebrity Big Brother together in 2007. She later admitted that she had made racist comments and said that she was "shocked and disgusted" by her behaviour towards the Bollywood star.

Earlier this week, Brand paid tribute to the late TV personality, who died on Mother's Day after losing her battle with cancer.