Stars raise funds and awareness in a bid to #SaveBobbysMum
Tonight’s season finale of The Only Way is Essex will feature a fundraising gala for blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.
Kind-hearted Bobby Cole Norris hosted the glittering fundraising event at Quendon Hall, as the charity is very close to his heart.
Bobby’s mother and ‘best friend’ Kym Norris, 54, who was diagnosed with leukaemia this summer, is in need of a bone marrow transplant from a stranger and will rely on Anthony Nolan to find her a potentially lifesaving donor.
An emotional Bobby asked his cast-mates to help him raise vital funds to help Anthony Nolan add more selfless donors to its register.
And the stars didn’t disappoint, with a few surprises up their sleeve to get people donating at the gala, which will feature on tonight’s finale episode (ITVBe, 10pm).
This follows Bobby’s plea in August for fans to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, which led to a 750% increase in sign-ups and saw thousands sharing the hashtag #SaveBobbysMum.
However the search is still on for a donor for Kym, and thousands of others like her.
At the time, Bobby said: “Both me and my mum were over the moon to hear about these huge increases in potential donors. It’s given us something positive to focus on at a really difficult time.
“But we still have a long way to go. My mum is one of thousands of people who are still waiting for the news that a matching donor has been found. It’s a really tough time and we’ve got a long road ahead, but I will be supporting Anthony Nolan every step of the way.”
Childhood memories - Bobby and his mum Kym
He added: “For the donor, it’s probably just a case of sitting still for a few hours while the stem cells are taken out of their blood. But for me, and for families like mine, it’s the difference between having my mum around or not. It’s everything.”
At Anthony Nolan, we hope that TOWIE fans will once again show their support once the programme has aired.
“When Bobby first went public with his urgent search for a bone marrow donor to save his mother’s life, the outpouring of support from TOWIE co-stars and fans was truly humbling,” said Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan.
“Tonight’s episode will once again help us drive home the message that you can be the cure for blood cancer, by raising money for Anthony Nolan or joining the register. There are still lots of myths and misconceptions out there about donating bone marrow and stem cells, so this is an incredible and selfless example for the TOWIE stars to be setting.”
How you can help
Tune into ITVBe at 10pm tonight to watch the season finale of The Only Way is Essex, featuring the fundraising gala for Anthony Nolan.
If you’re aged between 16–30 and want to join our register of potential bone marrow donors, click on the button below and fill out a short form. We'll send you a spit kit in the post. Once you return it, we'll add your details to our register.
You can also help us help more people like Bobby's mum Kym by giving money - text HOPE to 70020 to give £3.
Or click here to give money online and help us continue our lifesaving work.