More than 5,000 cancer victims will be remembered in tonight’s Ireland’s Got Talent.
The Sea of Change choir will be dedicating their song to those who lost their lives to the disease.
While the show’s live semi-finals performance will no doubt be emotional, it will not be a sad one.
Deirdre Featherstone, spokesperson for the choir, said: “We have over 5,000 people that we’ve lost to cancer and we’re celebrating their lives on stage.
“We’re singing in a nice way, not a sad way. We thought that maybe we might get 1,000 or 2,000 [names] but we were blown away by people’s comments on how they felt that we were going to remember their loved ones on the night.”
All 45 members of the group are also world record holders – as they were part of a skinny dip cancer fundraiser in 2018 which drew a crowd of 2,505.
Deirdre, who was the pioneer of the strip and dip, said the group is “unbelievably excited” to go on stage.
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She told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “We’re a very positive bunch of people. There’s not a bit of sadness. Everyone has their issues in the choir but we really want to show people there is a life after cancer.”
The mum of three said she doesn’t like the word “survivors” when referring to people who beat cancer.
She added: “I don’t like the word ‘survivors’, so what do we call the ones who didn’t survive? I think ‘warriors’ is good.”
Deirdre, who is originally from Dublin but lives in Clane, Co Kildare, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
She said: “I’ve told the girls they’ll have to keep it all together for the few minutes we’re singing. It’s an emotional song, so we’re all thinking about our personal loved ones as well.”
