A REALITY TV star has spoken of his excitement at winning £10,000 for a Surrey-based charity by appearing on a special Christmas edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Hugo Taylor, of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Made in Chelsea fame, appeared on the show live on Thursday night on behalf of Leatherhead's Rainbow Trust.
The 26-year-old was paired with jungle companion and celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager, with the duo winning £20,000 to split between their two chosen charities.
Mr Taylor told the Advertiser: "It was very exciting to appear on the show and do my bit for somebody else around Christmas.
"Before I appeared on the show I just thought about raising as much money as I could and hoping not to let anyone down."
The pair were stuck on a question that would have won them a shared £50,000 had they got it right, but decided to take £20,000 – before host Chris Tarrant revealed their answer was correct.
Mr Taylor's £10,000 share will now go to Rainbow Trust, a charity which cares for the families of children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses from its head office in Cleeve Road, Leatherhead.
The other £10,000 will go to Rosemary's chosen charity CoolTan Arts, which promotes art and creativity as a means of helping those with mental illnesses.
Mr Taylor said: "Rainbow Trust truly makes a difference. It is an amazing charity driven by love, hard work and passion for helping others. They have my full support forever."
Heather Wood, the charity's chief executive, said: "We are thrilled that Hugo chose Rainbow Trust for the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I'm A Celebrity special.
"This is a wonderful Christmas bonus for Rainbow Trust and it will enable us to help support families at the most challenging of times, when their child may not have long to live.
"The money he has raised will help us make Christmas special for families who have a child with life threatening or terminal illness right across the country."
For more information about the charity, or to donate, call 01372 363438 or visit www.rainbowtrust.org.uk
