Amelia Dimoldenberg & Joanna Lumley star in Red Nose Day 2025 launch sketch; & more celeb news
Melanie May | 31 January 2025 | News
A round up of recent celebrity news – from new ambassadors and patrons, to Amelia Dimoldenberg and Joanna Lumley helping to launch this year’s Red Nose Day.
Ivy & Le Caprice restauranteur Chris Corbin becomes Leukaemia UK patron
Restauranteur Chris Corbin OBE has been announced as a patron for Leukaemia UK – coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the stem cell transplant that saved his life, after he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The transplant put Corbin in full remission and he has since become friends with his donor, Stewart North, who he was matched with and later introduced to by Anthony Nolan.
Corbin previously volunteered as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Leukaemia UK, recently stepping down but accepting the lifelong role of patron.
Advertisement
Asma Khan becomes Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation’s first patron
Chef and women empowerment advocate Asma Khan has joined the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation as its first patron to support its mission to tackle food insecurity and support local communities across the UK and Ireland. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation.
Khan is the owner of the Darjeeling Express restaurant in London, and is also a UN World Food Programme advocate. Passionate about female empowerment, she champions women from diverse backgrounds through her restaurant, which has an all-female Indian kitchen. She has published a number of cookery books and in 2019 was the first British chef to feature in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Chef’s Table. In 2024 Khan was featured in the TIME magazine’s Top 100 most influential people.
Fiona Bruce becomes National Garden Scheme ambassador
The National Garden Scheme has announced that journalist and presenter Fiona Bruce is joining the charity as an ambassador. Bruce joins existing ambassadors Emma Bridgewater CBE, Danny Clarke (aka the Black Gardener), Alan Gray, Rachel De Thame, Joe Swift and Jo Whiley.
On her appointment, Bruce said that she had been visiting NGS gardens for as long as she could remember, and that she was a keen gardener. With the charity’s centenary approaching, she added: “To be part of this as the charity heads towards its centenary in 2027 is a great honour and a privilege. I am genuinely thrilled to be part of the National Garden Scheme.”
Amelia Dimoldenberg & Joanna Lumley star in new sketch marking official launch of Red Nose Day 2025
Red Nose Day returns on Friday 21 March, with this Comic Relief’s 40th year. The sketch sees Joanna Lumley – who has volunteered to star in some new content to launch the upcoming Red Nose Day campaign – awkwardly interrupted by Chicken Shop Dates’ Amelia Dimoldenberg. Unbeknown to Joanna, Amelia has been entrusted with the tongue-in-cheek role of ‘vibes check’ by Comic Relief – to ensure the charity remains ‘as fresh and relevant in 2025 as it has done for the past 40 years’.
In addition, this will be Amazon’s third year as the official Home of the Red Nose and exclusive stockist of this year’s Red Nose range. Comic Relief’s new collection for 2025 includes four nostalgic noses from the 80s, 90s, noughties and 2010s as well two new additions to the Red Nose line up: a celebratory cupcake nose and a Rare Ruby Nose to celebrate 40 years of Comic Relief.
Gordon Smith and Billy Davies join forces to support disability charity
Two of Scotland’s most recognisable football figures have been appointed as ambassadors for disability charity Capability Scotland. Former football star and SFA Chief Executive, Gordon Smith, and ex-Rangers and Motherwell midfielder and Derby County manager, Billy Davies, will use their influence to champion the charity’s work across Scotland.
Both ambassadors will play a key role in campaigns to raise funds to provide support for disabled people and their families. Smith’s track record of advocacy includes his position as Chairman of the Variety Club, where he has worked to improve the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children. Davies, a midfielder in his playing days for clubs such as Rangers and Motherwell, also managed clubs including Motherwell, Nottingham Forest and Derby County and is regarded as one of Scotland’s top football managerial talents.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.