TV star with brain tumour joins squats challenge to raise funds to find cure
Burrell, 38, is halfway through the 88 Squats A Day In July challenge, which she has taken on despite currently having treatment.
Funds raised will go towards Brain Tumour Research, a charity dedicated to curing the disease.
Despite an initial small target of £500, the TV star has so far raised more than £7,500 and still has two weeks left of the challenge.
Burrell, who is a patron of the charity, said: 'I've been doing my squats and I'm actually enjoying it. I may do around 20 and then take a break and have a cup of tea, but I get them done.
'My son Jonah has been asking me what I'm doing so he's been joining in, doing two or three here and there and then he's done.
'I think I'll keep it up after the challenge has ended because it's supposed to be one of the best exercises you can do, particularly for the back.'
This week marks Glioblastoma Awareness Week, which aims to shine a light on the disease and how it is the most commonly diagnosed high-grade brain tumour in adults.
Glioblastoma is incurable and there has been no advance in treatments for two decades.
Around 3,200 people are diagnosed with it a year in the UK, of which around 160 will live for five years or more.
Burrell, whose son is four, said: 'I'm nearly 40 and I've seen just how devastating this has been for my parents. They never stop worrying about it, ever.
'This disease is stealing young people away from their families. I've seen lots of people lose their life to glioblastoma who are parents of young children, it's just so devastating for everyone involved.
'The idea that you will never see your children grow up. There are lots of things I've come to terms with on this journey, but I will never ever be okay with the fact that I'm going to miss out on a lot of Jonah's life.
'That will always make me feel completely grief stricken and I imagine it's the same for any other parent who finds themselves in this situation. No time will ever be long enough really.'
Since her diagnosis, Burrell has undergone life-extending surgery, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
A scan in December 2024 showed some regrowth of the tumour but her latest scan in June showed there were no active cancer cells left.
'It means that some of those cells have been killed off, while others have been put to sleep and are dormant,' she said.
'But as we know with glioblastoma, they always wake up at some point and the tumour will start to grow again – but it's as good a situation as I could have hoped for given the nature of the disease.'
Burrell played a pivotal role in the launch of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in January.
The centre, a unique partnership between Brain Tumour Research and Beatson Cancer Charity, is the first of its kind in Scotland and focuses specifically on glioblastoma.
She said: 'People need to know how damaging glioblastoma is and how desperate people like I am to increase the treatment options.
'What Brain Tumour Research and Beatson are doing at the Scottish centre is giving so many people in the community hope, and I think they will produce something really spectacular.
'But all of these things take time. How many lives are we going to lose before then?'
Dan Knowles, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: 'During Glioblastoma Awareness Week, we are shining a spotlight on this most devastating of brain tumours.
'We are incredibly fortunate to have such a passionate patron in Theo, who works tirelessly for the brain tumour community.
'The statistics around glioblastoma are shocking, and it is only through increased government funding into critical research that we will get closer to a cure.'
Burrell's fundraising page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/page/theo-burrell-1699113713231?utm_medium=fundraising.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
12 hours ago
- Daily Record
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest stunned as mum's portrait worth five-figure sum
Antiques Roadshow expert Amin Jaffer valued one man''s painting of his mum and left him speechless An Antiques Roadshow expert has pieced together the intriguing backstory of an artist, as they revealed the true value of a man's portrait of his mother. The popular BBC show was in Arley Hall in Cheshire for its latest instalment, where Amin Jaffer was on hand. When taking a closer look at the woman's portrait, the expert remarked: "You might think you're looking at a portrait by a European artist of the 1930s. In actual fact, this painting was done by an Indian artist in the 1950s." He then asked: "It's obviously a portrait. Can you tell me something about the sitter?" which led the owner to share: "Yes, the sitter is my mother. It was painted in India. The artist worked for Grindlays Bank which was where my father worked." Jaffer revealed that the painting was the work of Indian artist Krishen Khanna, noting that the guest's mother had tried to keep in touch with him over the years after posing for the portrait, reports Devon Live. Jaffer further added: "And the story of Grindlays Bank is fascinating because Krishen Khanna, his family originally came from Lahore. "With the separation of India and Pakistan, they moved to Shimla where he worked in Grindlays Bank. Well the artist gives up banking in 1960 and becomes a professional painter. "He takes the leap, although he had very little money and took that big step to become a professional artist and of course, most of the works we know of his date from that later period, from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc. "It's extremely rare to find a picture from Krishen Khanna from 1954, from this experimental phase." The expert shared that after attending several evening art classes, Khanna emerged as "a really important figure" often hailed as "one of the great modern painters of India". He continued: "It's a fascinating picture, it's very, very much rooted in European painting of the 1930s. It has a very, very luminous effect with this very thick painting. "Krishen Khanna has become a big name and what's happened is the whole market for modern Indian painting has gone through the roof. "This is partly due to the emergence of private museums in India, and the Indian diaspora, including Indians in Britain and America, in South East Asia, who are keen to reconnect with their modern heritage and have begun collecting." When quizzed on the projected value of the artwork, the guest candidly admitted: "None. None whatsoever. It's never been valued. "I've mentioned to my mother that I might bring it here today and she said 'Go ahead. See what happens.' But no idea whatsoever." Jaffer then continued with the official valuation, declaring: "Well I think she would be happy to know that were it to be offered at auction, it would probably be within the estimate of something like £30,000 to £50,000 today." The audience, including the man's wife, let out gasps at the jaw-dropping valuation, whilst the owner himself maintained his composure. Following a brief silence, he uttered: "Crikey." He then glanced towards his spouse, who enquired: "Are you shocked or am I?" Jaffer observed: "I think you're going to make her a very happy lady today", prompting the guest to reply: "Thank you very much indeed. She will be." The crowd burst into applause as he stared at the artwork in amazement.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Antiques Roadshow guest barely reacts as mum's portrait fetches five-figure sum
An Antiques Roadshow expert was on hand to discuss a painting that had a very personal connection to its owner. WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow. An Antiques Roadshow guest didn't quite know what to say when he discovered just how much his artwork was worth. The BBC team had set up shop at Arley Hall in Cheshire, where expert Amin Jaffer was presented with an artwork that held more than met the eye. Upon seeing the portrait of a woman, Jaffer noted: "You might think you're looking at a portrait by a European artist of the 1930s. In actual fact, this painting was done by an Indian artist in the 1950s." He then asked the guest about the subject of the portrait, to which the guest replied: "Yes, the sitter's my mother. It was painted in India. The artist worked for Grindlays bank which was where my father worked." Jaffer revealed that the artist was none other than Krishen Khanna, an Indian painter who had maintained contact with the guest's mother after painting her portrait. He shared: "And the story of Grindlays Bank is fascinating because Krishen Khanna, his family originally came from Lahore. "With the separation of India and Pakistan, they moved to Shimla where he worked in Grindlays Bank. Well the artist gives up banking in 1960 and becomes a professional painter. "He takes the leap, although he had very little money and took that big step to become a professional artist and of course, most of the works we know of his, date from that later period, from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc. "It's extremely rare to find a picture from Krishen Khanna from 1954, from this experimental phase." The specialist revealed that, following a handful of evening art classes, Khanna became "a really important figure" frequently regarded as "one of the great modern painters of India". He added: "It's a fascinating picture, it's very, very much rooted in European painting of the 1930s. It has a very, very luminous effect with this very thick painting. "Krishen Khanna has become a big name and what's happened is the whole market for modern Indian painting has gone through the roof. "Partly with the birth of private museums in India, with the Indian diaspora, Indians in Britain and America, in south east Asia, who want to reclaim some of this modern heritage and have started to collect." When asked whether he had any notion of the artwork's potential value, the visitor honestly responded: "None. None whatsoever. It's never been valued. "I've mentioned to my mother that I might bring it here today and she said 'Go ahead. See what happens.' But no idea whatsoever." Jaffer then gave his official valuation, stating: "Well I think she would be happy to know that were it to be offered at auction, it would probably be within the estimate of something like £30,000 to £50,000 today." The crowd, including the guest's wife, gasped in surprise at the staggering figures, but the owner himself remained stoic. After a moment, he simply said: "Crikey." He then turned to his wife, who asked: "Are you shocked or am I?. Jaffer remarked: "I think you're going to make her a very happy lady today", to which the guest responded: "Thank you very much indeed. She will be." The audience erupted into applause as the guest gazed at the painting in wonder.
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Fake or Fortune: Fiona Bruce is on a tat or treasure hunt
*** FIONA Bruce earns between £410,000-£414,999 a year, the same as Nick Robinson but less than Alan Shearer. What's that got to do with a popular primetime docuseries about art, you ask? All will be revealed. The new run of Fake or Fortune? opened with a painting of a pretty summer scene, bought at an art fair for £140 by Barry, a carer. It was unsigned, but when Barry took it out of the frame (top tip), the inscription said it was a portrait of Clementine Churchill by her husband Winston, painted June 1916. With some works by Churchill fetching millions, this had the potential to be 'a right result', as they say in the art biz. But only if Bruce and her co-presenter, the art dealer Philip Mould, could prove its provenance. Bruce went to Herstmonceux Castle, where the work was supposedly painted in June 1916, and consulted various experts. Mould did the science bit with X-rays. They make a winning pair. He is dapper enough to get away with wearing a scarf, Monty Don-style, and Bruce had 'scarfed up' for the occasion with a groovy number of her own. Add a buttery soft biker jacket and jeans and she was good to go. That's the thing with Bruce, the BBC can send her anywhere and she will pass muster. She is this generation's Sue Lawley, posh but not too posh, and able to hold her own whether she is reading the news, anchoring Question Time, or doing lighter fare such as this and Antiques Roadshow. If you ask high heid yins at the BBC, it takes a very special skill set to do all this, hence Bruce's big bucks salary. But is that really the case, or could any competent presenter do it? Over tea in a palace, Barry filled Bruce in on his unsuccessful attempts to authenticate the painting. He wasn't taken seriously by the auction houses 'because of the way I speak, the way I dress, I just don't look like the typical art dealer'. I half hoped Bruce would launch a broadside at snooty auctioneers. Instead, she smiled and said: 'It's quite a rarefied world, isn't it, the grand auction houses.' Er, was that it? She was much better when they visited the handwriting expert. In a programme that was full of people hedging their bets, Barry finally got a straight answer. He was so shocked he almost cried. Bruce was there instantly with a comforting arm around his shoulder. It could have been awkward or seemed patronising, but instead it was just a lovely human moment. The expert consensus was that only the auction houses could authenticate the painting. The auctioneers, in turn, said it was up to the experts. The running around had been for nothing, albeit they got a programme out of it. Barry will have to wait for more answers. Either way, his £140 punt on a painting turned out well. Now that's what you call value for money.
