British cancer charity CLIC Sargent held a star-studded fundraiser in London on Friday night which had the likes of Holly Willoughby, Christine Lampard and Declan Donnelly in attendance. And it was Holly herself that was behind one of the evening's most heart-warming moments – she donated a diamond to a young couple who have battled cancer!
HELLO! caught up with event organiser Lucy Butcher to hear more about the amazing gala and that jaw-dropping moment, which couldn't have happened without a very generous donation from Windsor-based jeweller Berry's. Lucy explained: "The event - called A Very British Affair was an intimate evening - there were 180 guests and we had lots of amazing celebrities and musicians that came and donated their time to support the work we do with young cancer sufferers."
© Photo: PAHolly stunned at the event in a navy suit
As for Holly's donation? Lucy continued: "A lovely friend of mine from Windsor, a jeweller called Berry's, really wanted to support the charity so donated a loose half-carat diamond. As you walked in, there were little boxes of chocolate that guests could buy and inside one of the boxes was a golden ticket – the diamond. It just so happened that Holly Willoughby won it."
© Photo: PAChristine Lampard also looked incredible in a bright red jumpsuit
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Lucy was sitting on a table with a lovely couple, Jaymz and Kat who have both faced cancer in their young lives, and whose love story had been told earlier in the evening. Lucy continues: " Rather than take it for herself, Holly simply stood up, walked over to our table and said that she'd rather they had it."
Holly, Jaymz and Kat
How did Jaymz and Kat react? According to Lucy: "They couldn't believe it. They were so happy and blown away. She showed such generosity. It was just spur of the moment – she just stood up and said 'Oh my goodness, I've won!' Then, without hesitating, she just donated it to the couple. It was so lovely."
Talking to HELLO! about the astonishing moment, Jaymz, 23, explained that earlier in the evening he had taken to the stage to talk about the importance of bereavement support and the ways in which it had changed his life for the better. During his speech, Jaymz, who finished chemo on Christmas Day, also added that he had met his girlfriend Kat through CLIC's support network, and urged attendees to donate all they could to the life-changing organisation.
Jaymz, co-chairs Harriet and Lucy, Kat
Just after his speech, it was time to reveal the winner of the raffle and Holly discovered that she had the winning ticket in her bag. Jaymz remembers: "She was given the microphone and she said 'Well, there's been a bit of a love story going on here tonight, and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give the diamond to Jaymz and Kat after that little bit of romance.'" What a star!Asked how he and girlfriend Kat felt in that moment, Jaymz explained: "We just looked at each other and our jaws dropped to the floor. I was like, 'Is this really happening?' I'm so massively overwhelmed by her kindness. It was just the most unreal experience."
Holly's gesture was certainly touching, but as for the diamond – who's going to keep it? After all, there's two of them and only one precious stone. Jaymz joked: "We've got shared ownership. For now, anyway, until it gets turned into a ring. But it's early doors. It's our diamond. It's just absolutely incredible."
If you'd like to make a donation to CLIC Sargent and the fabulous work they do supporting young people with cancer, you can do so here. Jaymz adds,"They put on quite a few fundraising events over the year and they're always looking for people to run for them and do a bucket collection."
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