Comedian Alan Carr has donated his entire £87,500 prize money from his victory on Celebrity Traitors to Neuroblastoma UK, prompting the children’s cancer charity to express profound gratitude for his "commitment, compassion and drive."
Carr, who was crowned the winner of the BBC spin-off series during Thursday night’s tense final, has been a patron of the charity since 2016, describing the cause as "close to his heart."
In a heartfelt message shared on its social media channels, Neuroblastoma UK told the Chatty Man star: "Alan, what a moment. We can’t tell you how grateful we are.
“We’ve adored watching you over the last three weeks; all the more so with the glimmer of hope that if you did well, it might just mean something big for our small charity. And you did it."
The charity further lauded Carr's long-standing dedication, stating: "As our faithful Patron for nine years, your commitment, compassion and drive to bring hope to children and families facing this aggressive cancer have been nothing short of transformational. As a small charity with a big mission, you know how much this means to us."
They also praised him as "generous, warm, empathetic and unfalteringly kind," promising: "We promise to do you proud."
During the final episode, Carr became visibly emotional, bursting into tears as he revealed his traitor status to fellow faithfuls, comedian Nick Mohammed and historian David Olusoga.
Speaking to the visual podcast Uncloaked, he explained his reaction: "The charity is so close to my heart that it all became a bit too much. Hopefully when people see how upset I was they won’t feel so bad that I killed all those national treasures."
He added: "I told one person at the charity and they started crying, so that gives you some idea of how important this money will be to them. Neuroblastoma is such a cruel disease, and this money will literally save lives. It’s a charity and disease that no-one has really heard of so with the viewing figures being what they are it’s going to be so good for the charity."
Carr became the first patron for Neuroblastoma UK, founded as The Neuroblastoma Society in 1982, after meeting parents of children affected by the rare cancer.
Neuroblastoma develops in early nerve cells and predominantly affects children under five years old. He has been described by the organisation as "a passionate, dedicated ambassador."
