Inspired by the courage of my friends

Jul 21 2008 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT was my turn to play host to my friends Kath and Don, who kindly took me in for the night when I was struggling to survive on the minimum wage while filming Secret Millionaire in Cornwall last summer.

I’m currently filming the follow-up programme, which features the people I gave money to and how the programme affected all our lives.

Kath and Don were the ‘dancing couple’, as everyone who has seen the programme knows them.

They have been caring for their daughter, who was severely disabled in an accident more than 20 years ago, and touched my heart with their generosity and caring nature as soon as I met them during my shift in a chip shop near their home.

The money I gave them paid for a tango cruise in Europe, as they are keen dancers, and I wanted to treat them to an experience they could never have had otherwise.

Unfortunately, due to Kath’s ill health, the original plan to visit the home of tango in Argentina had to be cancelled as she is no longer allowed to fly. But what I admire is that they refuse to let setbacks affect them and were determined to still find an alternative – hence the long drive to Europe to join the first ever tango cruise there.

I must mention also that they spent the remainder of the money on two Yorkshire Terrier puppies for their disabled daughter, which I was delighted about.

During their visit to my house last week, Kath was accompanied by two nurses, who travelled from Cornwall with her. Her health has continued to deteriorate and she spends quite a lot of time in a hospice now.

But what I found amazing was how well she looked and she was still able to perform a tango with Don for the cameras.

She was chatting away and keeping us entertained all day. My Mum was also there to be filmed too – the producer kept asking her and Kath to stop talking so we could actually get on with some filming!

Even despite the long journey and full day of filming, Kath kept going through dinner in the evening. You would never suspect how ill she is if you didn’t know – such a courageous lady.

I often felt the same way about Jane Tomlinson when I met her. How on earth did she run so many marathons and complete Iron Man challenges when she must have been in absolute agony?

I’ve been watching the TV interviews of Jane’s husband Mike and daughter Rebecca this week as they started their 1,400-mile cycling journey from John o’Groats to Land’s End.

They are both very fit people but are finding the challenge really tough and have said they can’t imagine what Jane put herself through.

Jane told me that people even wrote to her accusing her of lying about her cancer, saying it would be impossible to achieve all she did while suffering from a terminal illness.

I feel honoured to have met such an inspirational lady as Jane was and to have become such good friends with Kath and Don, through a chance meeting in a chippy in Cornwall.