Scottish stars support launch of STV’s Big Scottish Breakfast campaign, & more celeb news

Scottish stars of Love Island, A Place in the Sun and Sean’s Scotland have helped STV launch its campaign, while Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd is supporting the We Are Survivors magazine launch. More on these and other celebs supporting good causes below.

Former England star Jack Wilshere and wife Andriani announced as BHF ambassadors

Former England and Arsenal footballer Jack Wilshere and his wife Andriani are joining forces with BHF to raise awareness of heart conditions after his daughter underwent lifesaving surgery. Siena was diagnosed with the defect aged five. It was during a family holiday in Cyprus where a doctor detected a heart murmur and urged the family to bring Siena to see a cardiologist.

Back in the UK, Siena underwent further tests and it was later confirmed she had a hole in her heart. One month after diagnosis, she underwent a successful operation to repair the defect in February 2024.  Jack and Andriani now want to use their platform as BHF ambassadors to raise more awareness of congenital heart conditions – and to help the charity fund further lifesaving research.

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Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd supports We Are Survivors magazine launch

We Are Survivors, has launched a quarterly magazine, Beyond The Silence, with the help of the creator of the Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd. This is the first ever magazine from the organisation and has been created to ensure there is a space for discussion on male victims / survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation.

Writer, comedian, actor and creator of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd has been an ambassador of the organisation for around a decade, and will be the issue’s cover star. Talking exclusively in the magazine, he talks about Baby Reindeer and why he is a supporter of We Are Survivors. He also describes how talking about using his lived experience as a survivor has been cathartic and how that conversation with the charity’s founder, Duncan Craig OBE, helped him see how vital the support for male survivors is from a first hand perspective.

Scottish celebs help launch STV’s Big Scottish Breakfast campaign

Anton Danyluk, Jean Johansson and Sean Batty have joined forces to launch STV’s Big Scottish Breakfast campaign. The Scots stars of Love Island, A Place in the Sun and Sean’s Scotland launched campaign by getting their hands dirty in a breakfast challenge at Glasgow school.

The celebrity trio each teamed up with a Battlefield pupil and were tasked with creating the most fabulous pancake topping in five minutes with Anton and his partner Kevin, aged 10, voted as the winning team. Anton, Jean and Sean were also grilled by Battlefield pupils on all things breakfast, with Anton admitting he loves indulging in leftover curry in the morning, Sean revealing the highest breakfast he’s ever eaten was aboard the world’s shortest flight in the Orkney Islands, and Americano-loving Jean claiming coffee would beat tea in a fight.

Matt Forde joins RNOH Charity as ambassador

Presenter and stand-up comedian Matt Forde has joined RNOH Charity as ambassador to help raise awareness of its work, which is to raises funds to supply state-of-the-art equipment, give patients better experiences by improving hospital facilities, and contributing to the hospital’s research programmes.

Forde recently underwent life-saving treatment at RNOH, an NHS hospital that treats people with sarcoma, or cancers of the bone and soft tissue, spinal injury and complex orthopaedic problems. He is now recovering and using his platform to help the hospital charity.

Paul Sinha announced as host of National Fundraising Awards 2024

Comedian and star of The Chase, Paul Sinha will host the awards on the evening of 3 July, during Fundraising Convention. He is a familiar voice on radio with appearances on Radio 4’s Just A Minute and The News Quiz and on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk. His Radio 4 series ‘Paul Sinha’s History Revision’ won the Rose d’Or for radio comedy. He’s also appeared on television, on BBC’s QI and Would I Lie to You? and as a competitor on Taskmaster, as well as being general knowledge expert on The Chase.

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Jonathan Bailey runs 2024 Wizz Air Hackney Half marathon for Just Like Us

Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey was one of the stars of stage and screen who joined over 20,000 runners in East London for the 2024 Wizz Air Hackney Half marathon in May. Bailey ran on behalf of Just Like Us, where he is Patron. The event had 25,000 sign ups and has raise over £2 million so far for charities including headline partner Alzheimer’s Society and local good causes like The Felix Project, Barts Charity, Hackney Night Shelter, and St Joseph’s Hospice Hackney.

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Gyles Brandreth presents Rainbow Trust’s BBC Lifeline Appeal

Broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth presented the BBC Lifeline Appeal on Sunday 26 May for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, and it is now available on BBC iPlayer.

The film features three families supported by Rainbow Trust who describe the difference the charity’s Family Support Workers have made to their lives.  Gyles understands just how vital Family Support Workers are after his family was supported by Rainbow Trust when his grandson Kitt was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer when he was 18 months old. The film is available on BBC iPlayer until 10am on 16 June. 

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.