Charity welcomes Alan Carr’s ‘incredible’ Celebrity Traitors prize donation

A children’s cancer charity has praised comedian Alan Carr as its “faithful patron”, after receiving a £87,500 donation from his Celebrity Traitors victory.

Neuroblastoma UK described the Chatty Man star as “a lovable, likable character”, after he was crowned the winner of the hit BBC spin-off series during Thursday night’s tense final.

Trustee Tori Oldridge, 49, said: “That amount of money is incredible. It 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.

Following 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”.