Colin Farrell finishes Dublin Marathon in support of ‘courageous’ friend
Colin Farrell has helped raise nearly £600,000 for a charity supporting people with a rare genetic condition, completing the Dublin Marathon by pushing his friend over the finish line in her wheelchair.
The Hollywood star said Emma Fogarty – who is Ireland’s longest survivor with the genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB) – is “what courage is all about”.
Pic: PA
Born with no skin on her left foot and right arm, Miss Fogarty experiences excruciating blisters from the slightest touch – a condition also known as butterfly skin.
Farrell, 48, finished the 42km (26-mile) run in four hours, six minutes and 45 seconds.
Each of the final four kilometres of the race represented a decade of Miss Fogarty’s life. Now aged 40, doctors originally told her parents she’d be unlikely to live longer than a week.
Their Run To 40 campaign to raise funds for Debra, the national charity supporting people living with EB, initially had a €400,000 target (£333,000) but they now aim to achieve €1m (£833,000) after viewers of the Late Late Show donated €470,000 (£391,000) last week.
The tally now exceeds €694,000 (£578,000).
‘Nothing compared to the pain she faces every day’
Oscar-nominated Farrell, who’s currently starring in Sky Atlantic’s The Penguin, said after the pair crossed the finish line at Upper Mount Street just before 1pm on Sunday: “I have known Emma for many years and she epitomises bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about.
“That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.
“It was an honour to see her waiting for me with 4km to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it.”
Miss Fogarty, who lives with the most severe form of EB, said she was determined to celebrate her 40th birthday in June in dramatic fashion because others with her form of EB rarely live beyond 35.
She said: “This was a dream come true for me and I want to thank Colin, who has been the most supportive, generous and loyal friend I could wish for.
“He has always shown his compassion and empathy for people living with EB and is a true champion in my eyes.
“Running a marathon is never easy but once he committed to it there was no going back, he is a man of his word.”
Pic: PA
‘Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle’
EB is caused by a lack of proteins between the skin layers, meaning even the mildest touch can cause devastatingly painful blisters, which must be bandaged, causing more extreme pain.
Some 80% of Miss Fogarty’s body is covered in layers of bandages to prevent wound infection.
“The doctors said it would be better for me not to make it because my life would be so hard,” Miss Fogarty said.
“No one expected me to survive for this long – because people with my type of EB almost never do – but I’ve always been encouraged to be a fighter.
“Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle, but right now, it is.”
Miss Fogarty has also had two battles with cancer.
Funds raised during the Run To 40 campaign will be used to fuel pioneering research into EB in Ireland.
Around 22,500 runners took part in the Dublin Marathon, with the race won by Kenyan Moses Kemei with a personal best time of two hours, eight minutes and 47 seconds.
Gary Glitter will stay in prison after the Parole Board refused the disgraced singer’s bid to be released.
Glitter, 81, was recalled to jail less than six weeks after he was released halfway through his 16-year sentence in 2023 for breaching his licence conditions by allegedly viewing downloaded images of children.
He was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in 2015 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980.
The Parole Board last year said it was “not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public” after a hearing held behind closed doors.
Glitter was jailed in 2015 Pic: PA
A spokesman on Tuesday said his release was refused again following a “paper review”.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community,” a statement said.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, will be eligible for a further review at a date set by the Ministry of Justice. His sentence expires in February 2031.
He was made bankrupt earlier this year after failing to pay more than £500,000 in damages to a woman who sued him for abusing her when she was 12 years old.
Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries at Slater and Gordon, who represented the woman, told Sky News the Parole Board has made “the right decision”.
He added: “My client is relieved at this ruling but apprehensive about having to go through the merry-go-round of Gadd coming up for parole again, and the fear of him being let out on licence.
“This is unfair on victims and it would be better if they were assured that he would serve the rest of his sentence.”
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Glitter was first jailed for four months in 1999 after he admitted possessing around 4,000 indecent images of children.
He was expelled from Cambodia in 2002, and in March 2006 was convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam, where he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
Glitter was automatically released from HMP The Verne, a low-security prison in Portland, Dorset, in February 2023 after serving half of his fixed-term determinate sentence.
But he was back behind bars weeks later after reportedly trying to access the dark web and images of children.
Kim Woodburn – a former cleaner who found fame presenting the hit TV show How Clean Is Your House? – has died.
Woodburn, who was 83, later became a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, finishing as runner-up.
Woodburn came third in Celebrity Big Brother 2017. Pic: PA
Her manager said in a statement: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness.
“Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person.
“Her husband, Peter, is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate.
“We are so proud of the amazing things Kim achieved in her life and career.
“We kindly ask that Kim’s husband and close friends are given the time and privacy they need to grieve.
“We will not be releasing any further details.”
Woodburn with Aggie MacKenzie (L). Pic: PA
On Tuesday, her husband shared a video montage of photos of Woodburn over the years, starting when she was just four years old, with the message: “My wonderful, beautiful, Kim passed away last night. God bless, my love, xx xx”
Known for her trademark tight, plaited bun, Kim was largely blind in her right eye, and had poor sight in her left eye, and earlier this year had told her followers she was undergoing emergency eye surgery.
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Woodburn, who had been selling video greetings to fans, shared her last Instagram post in February, when she posted a message saying “Kim is unable to record any further videos for the foreseeable future due to a health problem”.
She wrote: “No more videos for now, my loves, I need to get better!”
Woodburn, born Patricia Mary in Hampshire, left a turbulent home life aged 16, moving to Liverpool to become a live-in cleaner.
She revealed in her 2006 autobiography that, at the age of 23, she prematurely gave birth to a stillborn son and buried him in a park.
The revelation in her book led to a police inquiry, but no action was taken by officers.
In the same year as the stillbirth, she changed her name to Kim – after American actress Kim Novak.
Years later, she was scouted by a TV company looking for a cleaner with an engaging personality to front How Clean is Your House?
Paired with Scottish cleaner Aggie MacKenzie, the two professional cleaners fronted the show – a ratings hit and a pioneer for the home cleaning genre – from 2003 to 2009.
Woodburn went on to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of here! and E4’s Celebrity Cooking School, as well as regularly contributing to ITV’s This Morning and Loose Women.
She also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, Celebrity Come Dine With Me and A Place In The Sun.
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