Alan Carr’s Traitors win sparks child cancer conversation, bereaved mother says

By Ted Hennessey, PA

The mother of a three-year-old boy who died after being diagnosed with a rare cancer has thanked Alan Carr for raising awareness after he highlighted the disease with his Celebrity Traitors win.

Carr’s £87,500 winnings from his role as a “traitor” on the hit BBC spin-off show was earmarked for children’s cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK.

Katy Yeandle, whose son Joseph died on December 27 2021 after being diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma eight months earlier, said people are now talking about the disease because of Carr.

Ms Yeandle told BBC Breakfast: “It was amazing because nobody knows about neuroblastoma cancer. When Joseph was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, we didn’t know what it was.

“And now people are starting to talk about it because of Alan Carr, because of his amazing donation to the charity.”

Asked if she had a message for Carr, Ms Yeandle added: “Thank you, thank you for raising that awareness because one thing that I found during this whole childhood cancer journey is that childhood cancer isn’t talked about enough.”

She and her sister Emma Rees set up charity Joseph’s Smile which runs the Kids Get Cancer Too campaign to unite families, charities and supporters to raise awareness, funding and visibility for children and young people affected by cancer.

Ms Rees said: “Alan has started that conversation and alongside Neuroblastoma UK, we really hope that we can keep that conversation going.”

Neuroblastoma UK trustee Tori Oldridge, 49, said that the money will make a “huge impact”.

When asked about the comedian’s victory, she said: “I didn’t think he was going to win.

“It was really exciting. Last night, we were on the edge of our seats. We were glued to the screen.

“We all felt the emotion he was feeling. He did so, so well.”

The charity said the 49-year-old had been its “faithful patron” for nine years, as it thanked him in a post on social media.

After his win, Alan Carr said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be able to support Neuroblastoma UK, whether it’s raising awareness or funds.

“I’m so pleased I can use my platform to show how amazing this charity is.”

Neuroblastoma UK’s head of fundraising and communications Emily Hood said: “As a small charity with a big mission to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for every child facing neuroblastoma, moments like this are transformational.

“For many years, we’ve known Alan to be generous, warm, empathetic and unfailingly kind, and we’re delighted that the nation shares that view.”

During the final episode, Carr burst into tears as he revealed to the remaining faithfuls, comedian Nick Mohammed and historian David Olusoga, that he was a traitor.

He later told visual podcast Uncloaked: “The charity is so close to my heart that it all became a bit too much. Hopefully when people see how upset I was they won’t feel so bad that I killed all those national treasures.

“I told one person at the charity and they started crying, so that gives you some idea of how important this money will be to them.

“Neuroblastoma is such a cruel disease, and this money will literally save lives. It’s a charity and disease that no-one has really heard of so with the viewing figures being what they are, it’s going to be so good for the charity.”

Carr became a patron of Neuroblastoma UK, which was founded as The Neuroblastoma Society in 1982, after meeting parents of children affected by the disease.

Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that develops in early nerve cells and is most common in children under five.

The comedian was the first patron of the charity, and has been described by it as “a passionate, dedicated ambassador”.