13 March 2024 , 10:06
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Davina McCall has shone a light on a charity that feels very close to home and talked about how much she owes her gran who raised her.
In a Comic Relief video released today, TV host Davina, 56, speaks to kinship carers – relatives or friends who bring up children when parents are unable to.
Telling them about her late gran Pippy, she says: “I went to live with my granny when I was four. I really get emotional about this, but I’m so grateful to her. Everything would have been very different if it hadn’t been for her. I was embarrassed about being looked after by my grandma at school. I feel really ashamed of that. My granny shaped me, shaped my whole life. And I have to thank her for keeping me on the straight and narrow.”
Davina McCall meets Kinship Carers, Wendy, Meyrem and Kelly (Daniel Loveday/Comic Relief)Davina spoke to kinship carers Wendy, Kelly and Meyrem about difficulties they face and how they have been helped by the Kinship charity. It is one of the good causes supported by Red Nose Day, which returns on Friday.
Lucy Peake, chief executive of Kinship, said: “There is little awareness about kinship care and as a result, little support available. Our research tells us more than seven in 10 kinship carers do not feel they get adequate support. As someone who grew up in kinship care, Davina had real insight into the experiences of kinship families and the challenges they [face].”
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Davina, who will co-host Comic Relief on BBC 1 from 7pm, said: “Kinship is a charity close to my heart and one I’ve supported before I even knew Red Nose Day were involved in helping spread their message. Getting to know Wendy, Kelly and Meyrem was extremely moving. I was able to have conversations that I relate to on a deep level. Taking in the child of a family member or friend is really hard. Sometimes people... go without food in order to feed the children they’ve suddenly started looking after.”
* For more information on Comic Relief, please visit the website here