Fresh from their Paris honeymoon, David Walliams and Lara Stone only had eyes for each other as they partied with superstar guests to help raise £1.7 million for cancer care at the weekend. Surrounded by big names from the worlds of film, music, fashion and art, the newlyweds seemed joined at the hip at the fifth annual Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Midsummer gala at Hampton Court in south-west London.
And the Little Britain star made his own cheeky contribution to the event, auctioning off the chance for one bidder to enjoy a jelly-wrestling match with his Dutch model wife, with him acting as referee. The event is held in memory of Raisa Gorbachev, wife of former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, who died of leukaemia in 1999.
Seventy-nine-year-old Mikhail was guest of honour at the gala, alongside daughter Irina Virganskaya, her husband and their two children, Anastasia and Ksenia Virganskaya.
It was a family affair for the Redgrave clan as well. After losing siblings Lynn and Corin earlier this year, actress Vanessa Redgrave was showing her support for the cause alongside daughter Joely Richardson and 18-year-old grandchild Daisy Bevan.
Among other film A-listers at the party in Stud House, on the grounds of the famous palace, were Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott and Neve Campbell. Names from the world of music included Simon Le Bon, who was accompanied by his wife Yasmin, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and singer Bryan Ferry, who performed at the event.
After dinner came the auction, where other lots included lunch with Kevin Spacey, artworks by Francis Bacon and Jeff Koons, and a meal cooked by Sophie Dahl with musical accompaniment from her husband Jamie Cullum.
The money raised was split between the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation and the UK's Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. Foundation chairman Evgeny Lebedev said: "Mikhail Gorbachev and I were so moved by the generosity of our guests who helped us to raise this astounding figure of £1.7m. "This will go a long way to help lessen the suffering of so many children and their families – as was Raisa Gorbachev's aim."
