Let’s unite and ‘Stand Up to Cancer 2021’

Friday: Stand Up to Cancer 2021; (Channel 4, 7.30pm)
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

It’s that time of the year again when famous faces from the worlds of entertainment, sport, music and comedy come together and urge us to donate whatever we can to a very good cause.

Yes, it’s the culmination of the two-month Stand Up to Cancer campaign, and Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Adam Hills and Maya Jama are our hosts for a glittering evening of fun and frivolity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Among the famous faces set to make an appearance are Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, the Jonas Brothers, the Derry Girls, Jack Black, David Oyelowo and Martin Freeman, while a special celebrity-packed episode of Gogglebox is among an evening of televisual delights.

Alan Carr, Maya Jama, Davina McCall, Adam Hills for Stand Up To CancerAlan Carr, Maya Jama, Davina McCall, Adam Hills for Stand Up To Cancer
Alan Carr, Maya Jama, Davina McCall, Adam Hills for Stand Up To Cancer

Plus, comedian Joe Lycett will be keeping an eye on the totaliser throughout the night, as well as revealing more about where our hard-earned cash will be going.

To promote this year’s fundraising extravaganza, several stars have chosen to appear in a powerful video, chronicling their experiences with cancer and how it affected them.

Among them is presenter Adam Hills. “I‘m standing up to cancer for my dad who dealt with cancer for so much of his life – first stomach cancer, then leukaemia,” he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’m standing up for him and for all the people going through cancer who share their stories with bravery, with humility, with courage. Scientists are making huge strides in this battle and by raising crucial funds we can all fight against cancer.”

Talking about how his father coped with the diagnosis, Adam said: “Whenever he had therapy, he’d just do this little dance and sing in a high note. Even right to the very end we still, as a family, ended on a high note. So, I think the most important thing you can do is to just be there for your loved ones.”

Loose Women panellist Charlene White lost her mother to bowel cancer, and said: “I remember the moment she told me she had cancer when we were stood in our kitchen, making Sunday dinner. Soon, my new normal became doing homework on her hospital bed with my brother and sister.

“Despite it all, mum tried her best to push through the pain and be the best mum to us that she could possibly be. I’m standing up to cancer because I don’t want any other young family to go through what we went through.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Radio DJ Nick Grimshaw, whose father died of bladder cancer in 2016, said: “Losing my dad was incredibly painful and I want to be part of the fight to beat this disease. Researchers are leading the way, constantly developing new ways to beat cancer, but they can’t do this vital work without our support. By standing up together, we can all make a real difference in this fight.”

As for those who are going through a similar journey, Nick has some advice: “Speak to your friends and family as often as you can to check everyone’s alright. It’s important to surround yourself with people you love.”

Thanks to the general public’s generosity, more than £84 million has been raised in the UK, funding 59 clinical trials and projects involving over 19,000 cancer patients across the country.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you

Related topics: