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Press Office - Press Releases
KIMBERLEY WALSH GUEST-EDITS NOW AND GIVES EXCLUSIVE & EMOTIONAL SPORT RELIEF INTERVIEW
March 16, 2010
Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh has exclusively shared the emotional experience of visiting Uganda for Sport Relief – days before a film of the journey will air as part of Sport Relief across the weekend of 19-21 March.
As guest editor of a very special Sport Relief issue of the UK's best-loved celebrity weekly Now, Kimberley gives a frank account of the realities of the poverty and disease she encountered – as well as seeing just how the money she raised by climbing climbing Kilimanjaro last year is helping bring hope to stricken communities in Africa.
“Although it was a sad trip, it was nice to see the difference the money we raised climbing Kilimanjaro last year has made,” says Kimberley, 28. “Visiting a maternity ward in Hoima Hospital, Hoima, was one of the most difficult experiences. I was told the story of a woman called Jacqueline who was pregnant and had contracted malaria. She arrived there two days before we did, but her husband didn't get her to hospital in time. Both Jacqueline and her unborn baby died from what is actually a preventable disease.
“I think even though I had been on a trip like that before, and you see things in the press and on TV, none of that prepares you for the shocking reality. I thought I knew what it was going to be like, and because I'm quite strong, I thought I would be okay. But when I actually got there I was shocked at how much it got to me. I was overwhelmed the minute I walked in.
“In this hospital there were 20 women in a tiny room and they had all literally just given birth and had their babies lying on them and just that alone was so shocking.
“I ended up rushing outside to pull myself together. What you can't get from TV is the rawness - the feeling and the smells. The whole thing takes over. My cousin had a baby only three days before, but in a completely different world, so to see how people have to deal with that experience in those circumstances was really shocking. I did break down, but I thought I have no right to because these people are dealing with it everyday.”
Working with Sport Relief has made Kimberly determined to do as much as she can for the charity in the future. She says: “It really has changed my outlook on life and I want to go out and do as many trips as I can to help raise awareness. I've told all the girls in the band about the trip and I want them now to see it for themselves.”
As well as providing an exclusive interview for Now, Kimberley has taken her guest-editing duties very seriously. Spending a day in the office with the editorial team, she's penned the editor's letter, welcoming readers to the special Sport Relief issue, for which 5p from every copy sold on the UK newsstand will go directly to the charity.
She's the guest commentator on Now's popular 'The Week In Outfits' franchise, and she does a session in Now's Fashion cupboard, selecting and trying on her favourite spring trends and sharing her style secrets with readers, including a confession about how Girls Aloud keep their heels on when they perform.
She also introduces another Sport Relief exclusive, as Denise Van Outen interviews David Walliams – only for Now. David, who led the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride, tells of the “chaffing” in intimate areas after the gruelling cycle challenge, as well as his mum's tearful reaction when he announced his engagement.
The special Sport Relief issue of Now carries the full Kimberley Walsh interview and is on sale Tuesday March 16, priced £1.40. Five pence from every copy sold on the UK newsstand will go directly to Sport Relief.
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About Now
Now is the UK's best-loved celebrity magazine. It's packed with the biggest celebrity news, the latest gossip, the hottest fashion and the best pictures. It has everything a reader needs to know about celebrity life and much, much more. On sale every Tuesday.
About Sport Relief
As one of the UK's biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active, raise cash and change lives. The Sport Relief Weekend takes place from Friday 19th March to Sunday 21st March 2010 including a night of Sport Relief telly on BBC One and the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile events across the UK on Sunday 21st March. All the cash raised by the public will help transform the lives of those living tough lives across the UK and the world's poorest countries.
Since its launch in 2002, millions of people have taken part in Sport Relief, helping to raise over £80 million. Sport Relief has a unique history of dedicated people doing extraordinary things to rise to the challenge, from David Walliams' astonishing swim across the English Channel to Eddie Izzard's truly amazing marathon a day around the UK. Further information is available on www.sportrelief.com
Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NOW PLEASE CONTACT:
Chris Taylor, head of media relations, IPC Media on 020 3148 5406, 07980 221942 or email chris_taylor@ipcmedia.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SPORT RELIEF PLEASE CONTACT:
Sarah Rowley, Sport Relief, on 0207 840 2527 or email s.rowley@comicrelief.com
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