Married at First Sight star Daniel McKee walking 11,000 steps a day for prostate cancer charity

Co Antrim man Daniel McKee and his husband Matt Jameson are upping their daily step count this month as they take on Prostate Cancer UK’s virtual fundraising challenge, March the Month.
Daniel McKee and Matt Jameson are walking 11,000 steps a day to raise awareness of prostate cancerDaniel McKee and Matt Jameson are walking 11,000 steps a day to raise awareness of prostate cancer
Daniel McKee and Matt Jameson are walking 11,000 steps a day to raise awareness of prostate cancer

Co Antrim man Daniel McKee and his husband Matt Jameson are upping their daily step count this month as they take on Prostate Cancer UK’s virtual fundraising challenge, March the Month.

The pair, who met and married on the popular Channel 4 TV show, Married at First Sight, are walking 11,000 steps a day to represent more than 11,000 dads, partners, brothers, grandads and mates who die from prostate cancer every year.

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Daniel and Matt were inspired to take part in March the Month after Matt’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.

Matt said: “When my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer it was a real shock – and it would be a total gamechanger for me.

“The thing with cancer is people always look at it and maybe don’t think it will affect them, but my dad’s diagnosis opened my eyes, and the work of Prostate Cancer UK will always be hugely important to me.”

The NHS and Prostate Cancer UK have joined forces to launch a new campaign to find more than 14,000 men across the UK who need treatment for prostate cancer but have not yet come forward.

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The campaign will encourage men to use Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online risk checker (prostatecanceruk.org/riskcheck) to learn more about their level of risk and what action they can take, including getting checked by their GP if they are at higher risk.

Matthew added: “The risk checker will take around 30 seconds and could save your life, so I’d urge men to take the initiative, read up and get involved.

“Me and Daniel will be walking 11,000 steps every day, to mark those men lost to this horrible disease every year.

Portballintrae man Daniel added: “Being a Northern Irishman, I’m proud of the work that Prostate Cancer UK do in my homeland too. The charity is very much across the UK and I know Sky Sports’ Jeff Stelling was over in Belfast a few years ago, and raised so much funds and awareness. It’s vitally important we all keep talking about this disease and seek support if we have any concerns.”

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More than 9,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer in Northern Ireland, and 200 men die from the disease there each year.  

Health Minister Robin Swann said: “There has been a significant fall in cancer referrals during the pandemic,  therefore it’s vital that we do everything we can to raise awareness of the disease to help with early diagnosis and enable treatment to begin.”

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can also contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses on weekdays on 0800 074 8383 or online at www.prostatecanceruk.org

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