The family of a three-year-old who died of cancer has issued a heartfelt thank you to Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr. The 49-year-old comedian went undetected in his role as traitor in the hit BBC show, meaning he took away the prize pot of £87,500 for his chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK.
The final drew an average of 11.1 million live viewers with a peak of 12 million, with Alan using his platform to shine a light on the devastating disease that many families have never heard of until their child is diagnosed.
Joseph Yeandle, from Carmarthenshire, was diagnosed in April 2021 and sadly lost his battle to cancer two days after Christmas in December 2021. His mum, Katy Yeandle, described her son as “the kindest, funniest, and most loving boy”.
Joseph’s Smile charity was set up in the youngster’s memory, and helps to raise grants for families, and have close links to Neuroblastoma UK.
View 3 Images Joseph Yeandle passed away at the age of three, in December 2021(Image: Katy Yeandle)
After Alan’s win, they wrote: “We cannot put into words to describe how it felt seeing Alan Carr win Celebrity Traitors for Neuroblastoma UK.
“The funds will make a huge difference towards research into this horrendous disease, but even more valuable is the incredible awareness that this has brought, because it brings Neuroblastoma and children’s cancer into the spotlight.
“It is crucial conversations and awareness like this that will eventually help the charities and families fighting day and night to ensure that one day very soon, we will see kinder and safer treatments for children with cancer – so they not only survive, but thrive!!!
“Thank you so much, Alan, for all you do to support children like Joseph and families like ours. It brings us so much hope. Diolch o galon a Llongyfs Mawr.”
Katy also appeared on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning. Asked if she had a message for Alan, she said: “Thank you. Thank you for raising that awareness, because one thing that I have found during this childhood cancer journey is that childhood cancer isn’t talked enough about, and that is why we’ve started a campaign called Kids Get Cancer Too.
“We want to unite all childhood cancer charities together and make September something that is as big as Ticked Pink, because what they’ve done for that, for breast cancer is amazing.
“For childhood cancer, there’s not enough funds going into it, and if there was, maybe Joseph would have had a fighting chance, but it was his treatment that killed him.
“We’re hoping everyone will get involved in Kids Get Cancer Too. We’re calling on supermarkets, big huge firms, as they did for Tickled Pink. Help us, help us get childhood cancer awareness out there to allow charities like Neuroblastoma UK to get better research.”
View 3 Images Joseph with his mum, Katy(Image: Richard Swingler)
Head of fundraising and communications at Neuroblastoma UK, Emily Hood, said: “It has been wonderful to follow along with Alan’s journey on the show and he has been just as entertaining as ever.
“As a small charity £87,500 can make a huge difference to our work. We couldn’t be more grateful for his continued support of our charity.”
Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer diagnosed in around 100 children in the UK each year.
For families facing high-risk neuroblastoma, the outlook is devastating – only around half of children survive. Neuroblastoma UK is dedicated to changing this by funding vital research to develop better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Alan became the charity’s first patron in 2016 after meeting parents who had lost children to neuroblastoma.
Since then, he has been a tireless advocate, fronting fundraising campaigns, raising awareness on national TV, rallying celebrity friends, and inspiring thousands of supporters with his trademark warmth and humour.
Alan, who broke down in tears after winning, 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.
“The money could help save lives.”