Macmillan Cancer Support has released a series of stunning portraits of celebrities and people affected by cancer to mark the return of Coffee Morning. The photographs – shot by photographer Rankin – bring to life the importance of connection through shared experience.
The series brings together renowned news reporter and journalist George Alagiah, star of stage and screen Sheridan Smith, podcast host and cancer campaigner Lauren Mahon, and Chewing Gum and This is Going to Hurt actor Kadiff Kirwan, all of whom have been personally affected by cancer, to meet real people facing similar experiences.
The intimate conversations captured through the images saw the pairings relive moments of their own diagnosis; grieve the loss of loved ones; share experiences of Macmillan support they’ve received; and discuss how to navigate life after cancer. With as many as 1 in 2 people expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime[ii], it has never been more important to come together and encourage open conversations about the huge impact cancer can have.
George and Mary
Speaking openly about the impact of his own experience of living with stage four bowel cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2014 and subsequently spread to his lymph nodes and lungs, news presenter and journalist George Alagiah says:
“People always ask me how I cope and it’s the hardest question… The challenge at first was getting my cancer diagnosis straight in my head; despite having so much going for me, a successful career and a loving family, here I was just being told I was dying. I wish I had known sooner just how much support Macmillan could have offered me throughout this whole experience, but I thought I had to be at the end of my life to ask for it.”
Personal trainer Mary Huckle, a mother of three from London, was also diagnosed with stage four cancer in the same year as George. Mary recalls her own diagnosis and feelings of being vulnerable and out of control:
“One of the worst things about a cancer diagnosis was having to break the news to my loved ones. The ripple effects are always far reaching and just as traumatic for them. Many lonely, sleepless nights ensued. There was lots of crying, and that wasn’t just me, but there was no time to speculate. I just had to accept the situation and crack on with the process. In those early days, I felt vulnerable and completely out of control, but I had no choice but to place my trust in the medical team looking after me.”
Sheridan and Suad
Actor Sheridan Smith met with Manchester-based nurse Suad Ibrahim, who comes from a close-knit family of nine siblings and also lost her father to cancer. Macmillan was able to grant Suad’s father his final wish:
“My father was an incredibly strong-minded and proud man and was quite reluctant to seek any kind of support when he first received his diagnosis. However, his relationship with his Macmillan nurse Sarah was unlike any other I’d seen.”
“He shared things with her about his health and final wishes that he found too difficult to share with us. When my father passed away, his wish was to be buried on the day of his passing, to honour his Muslim faith. Sarah, our amazing GP, and the rest of the healthcare professionals who looked after my father were able to grant him this final wish. Our family will forever be grateful for this. We cannot thank Macmillan enough and all the people who helped care for and support my father and all of us during one of the most difficult times in our lives.
After losing loved ones to cancer, Sheridan Smith has backed Macmillan’s Coffee Morning event for several years:
“Connecting with others who have been touched by cancer can really help you to feel less alone. Macmillan’s Coffee Morning is the perfect space to do that – but whatever your reason for getting involved, you’ll be helping to support the growing numbers of people living with cancer across the UK, who need our support more than ever before.”
Lauren and Shell
Award-winning podcaster, campaigner and Founder of charity Girl vs Cancer Lauren Mahon, met with twenty-three-year-old Shell Rowe, a filmmaker and TikTok star from Essex. The pair bonded over their shared experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis at a young age, with Londoner Lauren being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty-one and Shell receiving a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma when she was just twenty years old. Both received support from Macmillan throughout their cancer treatment.
