JACK TWEED said yesterday it was a “great shame” the Government had rejected calls to lower the screening age for cervical cancer.

Jade Goody’s widower said any move that saved a life had to be worthwhile.

His comments came after the Government decided not to lower the age for cervical cancer screening to 20 across England.

Women will continue to be invited for screening from the age of 25, following a review by the independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS).

All women in England used to be invited for smear tests from the age of 20 but this changed in 2003.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, women still attend screening from the age of 20.

Mr Tweed said: “It is a great shame the Government has decided not to change the age.

“Anything that saves a single life is worthwhile; I know, because I still miss Jade every day.”

Campaigners have called for a lowering of the screening age in light of the death of Big Brother star Goody in March.

She died, aged 27, after discovering she had advanced cervical cancer which then spread around her body.

Yesterday, the Government said the ACCS agreed unanimously there should be no change in the screening age because of evidence it did “more harm than good”.

Treating women for abnormal cervical cell changes has been linked to an increased risk of premature birth, they said.

While women of all ages who are treated are more likely to give birth prematurely, the benefits of screening older women for cervical cancer outweighs this risk, the ACCS said.

The ACCS also pointed to high false positive rates among younger women – abnormal changes in their cells often return to normal by themselves without the need for treatment.