‘We cannot let Faye’s life end here’: The campaign to save a young star fighting a rare brain tumour
When the fatigue set in and the sensation in parts of her left side started flickering away, Faye Fantarrow thought she knew what was coming. At 20, the leukaemia she had survived twice as a child had returned for a third time, she feared.
“Just” the leukaemia, she says, knowing cancer is never a “just”. But having survived it twice before, at least she knew what to expect. Or thought she did.
Blood tests, however, came back normal, she says. No leukaemia. It was not until she had scans and eventually a biopsy that doctors were able to give her a diagnosis: an aggressive glioma brain tumour, believed to be an incredibly rare consequence of previous radiotherapy she had undergone as a teenager.
This was back in August. Since then Faye, from Sunderland, has had further radiotherapy to try and shrink several growths. But there is no cure in the UK.
An up-and-coming singer and musician, spotted on social media and subsequently signed by Eurythmics star Dave Stewart earlier in 2022, she was made aware of a lifeline – a trial at the City of Hope hospital in the city of Duarte in Los Angeles County, California; a complex treatment, at a total cost of £450,000.
Now, her friends and family, as well as other musicians, are doing everything possible to try to raise the money. Three-and-a-half weeks since a fundraising page was set up, donations have reached just over £121,000. A huge amount, but there is still a way to go.
“We cannot let Faye’s life end here,” her sister Abigail says on the fundraising webpage. “She is the brightest star you could ever find on the darkest night, she is strong, independent and talented… please donate… please help to help Faye fight.”
“It’s daunting but the security blanket I have around me because of the people who are putting money in and just not giving up on me – it doesn’t seem as daunting,” says Faye.
The fight is now on to raise the money for treatment in California.
Surviving leukaemia
Faye was just eight when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a form of blood cancer, for the first time. She underwent two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy that took away her hair and mobility, but as a child, she says a lack of proper awareness cushioned her from the situation, making her illness in some ways harder for her family.
And in a strange way, her cancer led to her life changing in a positive way; given a Brave Heart award for children facing illness or adversity, she chose an acoustic guitar, paving the way for her career as a singer-songwriter.
The leukaemia returned when she was 13 and this time, she would have to have a bone marrow transplant – a long, difficult process, but one she came through once again.
‘And then Mr Dave Stewart got in touch…’
Faye signed to Dave Stewart’s Bay Street Records label earlier in 2022
Aged 15, Faye started playing the guitar seriously and began writing her own songs the following year. Aged 17, her music was played by BBC Introducing for the first time. And in 2021, she was named the winner of the Alan Hull award for songwriting – a prize given annually in the North East in memory of the Lindisfarne founder.
After years of cancer dominating her life, Faye was well and her music career was taking off. “And then Mr Dave Stewart got in touch,” she says.
Having first followed her on Instagram, Stewart later messaged the singer and began mentoring her, at first adding some production work to her demos remotely, then inviting her to record with him in London. Then they went to the Bahamas to record an EP.
“Things were going so well… and then I decided to mess everything up,” Faye jokes, referring to the tumour. But this is the hardest thing about being diagnosed now, she says. “I’m more aware of it now and obviously it’s affected my career as well. I don’t want this to undermine my career and everything I’ve worked to build.”
‘She’s a national treasure already’
Stewart and his Eurythmics bandmate Annie Lennox have both donated: Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
Stewart, also from Sunderland, has shared Faye’s story, calling her “an amazing young artist”. He has donated £50,000, and his Eurythmics bandmate Annie Lennox has also donated £10,000.
“Faye is a brilliant young artist, a singer-songwriter in a class of her own,” Stewart told Sky News. “Unique writers like Faye come few and far between and I knew the minute I heard her voice she was extraordinary.
“We spent an amazing time together recording her new EP this summer only to be hit with this devastating news no more than a few weeks after we finished recording.
“I cannot express enough how much I believe in Faye and her talents as a singer and performer, but it’s her astute observations of the world around her put in the words that makes me believe she deserves to be heard for a long, long time.
“At only 20 years old she’s a national treasure in my mind already and hopefully she will become one in yours, too.”
‘I can look towards a future’
Faye now suffers from seizures as a result of her tumours. She says she has good days and bad days. But she remains upbeat, saying she feels “euphoric” thinking about performing again following treatment in California; she is not thinking of it as a case of if, but when.
The treatment she needs is called CAR T-cell therapy, which is a type of immunotherapy – a “complex and specialist treatment”, according to Cancer Research UK. T cells are a type of white blood cell.
“With this treatment, a specialist collects and makes a small change to your T cells. After a few weeks, you have a drip containing these cells back into your bloodstream. The CAR T-cells then recognise and attack the cancer cells,” the charity says on its website.
“It is available as a possible treatment for some children with leukaemia and some adults with lymphoma. People with other types of cancer might have it as part of a clinical trial.”
Faye says the NHS has been “amazing” so far, but now she needs to get to the US.
“If anybody can give whatever they can, I’m eternally grateful for that,” she says. “I’m aware of the current climate… so even if it’s just sharing the story, talking about it. I’m fortunate enough that I have this option and people are getting behind me, that I can look towards a future. Even if it’s just talking about it, I can’t express the gratitude for that alone.”
But Faye’s mum puts it simply. “£450,000 seemed an insurmountable amount. But then I thought, well, if we can reach 450,000 people and they all just give a pound, then we can do it. And that’s all we ask. If someone can give a pound, then we can do it.”
You can donate to the Fight For Faye fundraiser here.
From Human Traffic and The Business to his critically acclaimed performance in the raunchy TV adaptation of Rivals, via a stint as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in EastEnders, Danny Dyer has been on our screens for more than 30 years.
But it was his performance in the TV comedy Mr Bigstuff that earned him his first BAFTA win – and one of the ceremony’s biggest cheers from the audience – earlier this year.
Danny Dyer as Lee Campbell in Mr Bigstuff
Now, he returns to his prize-winning role for the second series of the Sky show, which tells the story of two estranged brothers – Glen (played by creator Ryan Sampson), an anxious carpet salesman living his ideal suburban life with fiancee Kirsty (Harriet Webb), and Lee (played by Dyer), an alpha male who struts back into his brother’s life carrying their father’s ashes.
Ryan Sampson (right) created the series and stars alongside Dyer
Several EastEnders alumni feature, including Nitin Ganatra, Victoria Alcock and Linda Henry, who played Dyer’s on-screen mother, Shirley Carter.
Reflecting on some of Albert Square’s most famous characters and who would work well in Mr Bigstuff, Dyer says he would have loved to see the late June Brown, who played the chain-smoking hypochondriac Dot Cotton for 35 years, taking on a role.
“Absolute legend,” he says.
Sampson suggests the late Dame Barbara Windsor, who played the formidable Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell, but has a clear pitch if season three gets the green light.
“It could still be a possible, it would be amazing,” he says. “You want your Pat Butcher, don’t you? You want Pam St Clement. Why hasn’t she played a mafia boss yet? She’d be amazing. She’d be incredible at it.”
Dyer at the BAFTAs earlier this year. Pic: PA
Dyer reveals his screensaver
After his long career on screen, Dyer is now enjoying playing a variety of roles alongside the Cockney geezer types that became his bread and butter in the early noughties.
His nuanced performance as awkward entrepreneur Freddie Jones in Rivals brought him praise from fans and critics alike, and Mr Bigstuff his BAFTA.
But Dyer always had range. After small TV roles in shows including The Bill and A Touch Of Frost, he grew close to the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter in 2000 after auditioning and earning the role of a waiter in his play Celebration at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, north London.
“I’ve got Harold Pinter as a screensaver on my phone,” he says. “I always feel that he’s sort of looking down on me or close to me, so I like to just feel that he’s around me.”
Dyer continued the role in Celebration both in the West End and on Broadway, with Pinter becoming his mentor in the process.
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In 2020, he presented a Sky Arts documentary, Danny Dyer On Pinter, which explored the life, career and impact of the playwright and screenwriter, who died in 2008.
He also has plans to develop a stage tribute to his friend, currently titled When Harry Met Danny.
Reflecting on his entry into the industry, he says theatre was quite inaccessible at the time, but Pinter opened it up to him.
“I think it’s even worse now, which I feel is a sad state of affairs,” he says. “I don’t know why that is. Everything’s become quite elite. All the elite f****** looking after themselves, so that needs to change.”
‘Love in the air’ at Oasis gig
But Pinter isn’t his only big influence – Dyer was one of the thousands of fans to see Oasis make their return to the stage in Cardiff earlier this month.
“It was really emotional seeing them come out,” he says. “There was a lot of love in the air, a lot of good energy.
“You know, there’s a lot of f****** shit going on. I think people, of my age as well, just want to jump around and sing them songs at the top of their lungs. So I’m still recovering, I’m not going to lie.”
Mr Bigstuff returns for season two on Thursday, on Sky Max and NOW
Entertainment
Scuffle breaks out on stage of Royal Opera House after performer unfurls Palestinian flag
A brief scuffle broke out at London’s Royal Opera House after a performer unfurled a Palestinian flag during a show.
The incident took place during a performance of Il Trovatore on Saturday.
During the final night of the 11-night run of the show, a performer held up the flag on stage.
In video footage, shared online, someone backstage could be seen attempting to take it off the performer. The performer grabs it back following a brief scuffle.
A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera said: “The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist.
“It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.”
The reaction to the flag was mixed, with some people heard applauding and cheering, while another audience member was heard saying “oh my God”.
One poster on X, who claimed to have been a member of the audience, said: “Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight.
“During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.”
Performers show support for Palestinians
A number of performers have shown support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
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During Glastonbury Festival, numerous acts offered messages of support during their sets, including Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Amyl And The Sniffers.
During her band’s set, Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the crowd at the Other Stage: “Whilst we have the stage for just a little bit longer, we want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine.
“No-one should ever be afraid to do that.”
Following their performances, both Kneecap and Bob Vylan faced investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.
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BBC ‘regrets’ not pulling Bob Vylan live performance
Bob Vylan were widely criticised after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
The performance was live-streamed by the BBC, sparking a backlash against the broadcaster – which later issued an apology.
The investigation into Kneecap was later dropped, with the police saying there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The chief executive of tech firm Astronomer has resigned after a video appearing to show two of its senior members of staff embracing at a Coldplay concert went viral.
The tech firm said chief executive Andy Byron had tendered his resignation, and that the board of directors had accepted it.
“As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the company said in a statement.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.
“The board will begin a search for our next chief executive as co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.”
The firm previously said Mr Byron, who was alleged to be the man in the clip, had been placed on leave, but stopped short of confirming it was him in the video.
In the viral clip, the pair are shown on a screen with their arms around each other during the British band’s concert at the Gillette Stadium, in Boston, Massachusetts, on 16 July.
Once both of them realised they were being projected, the man quickly ducked out of view while the woman turned to hide her face from the camera.
Woman hides her face
Appearing to poke fun at the couple, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin is heard on the clip saying: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The awkward encounter sent the internet into a frenzy, with the video gaining millions of views on social media and reports emerging that the two were executives from New York-based tech company Astronomer.
In a previous statement on Friday, the company addressed the viral moment, saying in a post on X that it had launched a “formal investigation” into the matter.
“The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly,” it said.
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The company also said Mr Byron had not commented on the matter after a fake statement claiming to be from him began circulating online.
Astronomer said another named member of staff was “not at the event” and that “no other employees were in the video”.
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