Meet the celebrity supporters backing our Stop MS Appeal
We launched our Stop MS Appeal in 2015. We aimed to raise £100 million over a ten year period to accelerate new research and stop MS.
Since the launch in 2015, we have raised a staggering £90 million. And in the final year of our Appeal, we’re highlighting the stories of people living with MS and the impact of MS research.
We’ve made remarkable progress since the start of the Stop MS Appeal, but we can’t stop now. Meet the celebrity supporters and people living with MS backing our Appeal and find out why our progress means so much to them.
Andy Serkis
Andy is a TV and film actor and director best known for his performance-capture roles, including as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes movies and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars movies. Performance-capture uses an actor’s movements and expressions to create realistic characters in animated or CGI films.
Andy wanted to support the Stop MS Appeal as his sister lives with MS. Andy starred in our ‘Team Stop MS’ video to raise awareness of the appeal in 2021. Speaking at the time, Andy said: "One of my sisters has struggled with MS for many years. She and her partner are strong, funny and always positive, but I live in hope that one day her condition can be halted.”
Tom Kerridge
Tom is a TV chef and restaurateur, best known for his cookery shows and being a contestant and judge on The Great British Menu.
Tom became an Ambassador for the MS Society in 2023 after supporting us for many years as his dad lived with MS. Tom has raised funds through his gastropub The Hand & Flowers, spoken about MS in the media and presented our BBC Lifeline Appeal in 2022.
Speaking about his role as an MS Society Ambassador, Tom said: “What the MS Society do is incredibly personal to me. I’ve seen the devastating effect MS can have on a person. I saw what my dad went through and how his mind and body were affected. It was heart-breaking. So, if my support can make a bit of difference for families, I’m all in."
Jasmine and Louise
Jasmine was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS aged 17. Four years later she was diagnosed with secondary progressive MS. Now 24, she’s raising awareness that advanced MS affects young people too, so others don’t feel alone.
Her mum Louise is supporting her on her journey to do this. Both Jasmine and Louise talk about the impact MS has had on their lives in our short film.
Jane Felstead
Jane is a TV personality best known as Mummy Felstead in the reality TV show Made In Chelsea. Janes lives with MS and has supported the MS Society by supporting our campaigns, sharing her experience of MS in the media and in blogs for our website.
Speaking about the Stop MS Appeal, Jane said: “The MS Society is at the forefront of funding MS research in the UK. They are incredible. Their work, their team of scientists - doctors - professors are SO dedicated, it's really moving and very life-affirming.”
Nicola Walker
Nicola is a TV actor known for drama series including Unforgotten, The Split and Last Tango in Halifax. Nicola’s mum lived with progressive MS.
Nicola has supported the MS Society by reading at our carol concerts and taking part in our Team Stop MS campaign to raise funds for the Stop MS Appeal. Last year Nicola helped raise awareness of our My MS Woof dog walking challenge alongside her dog Dora.
Trishna Bharadia
Trishna is a multi-award-winning patient engagement consultant who lives with MS. Trishna became an MS Society Ambassador following her appearance as a contestant on BBC One’s The People’s Strictly, a one-off special episode of Strictly Come Dancing, for Comic Relief in 2015.
Trishna regularly shares her experience of MS in media interviews, blogs and as part of our campaigns. Trishna is also a long-standing volunteer for our Asian MS support group.
Carly and Ekow
Carly and Ekow are both actors and disability advocates living with secondary progressive MS. They met in 2019 at an event for disabled actors in Manchester and are now engaged. In 2024, they starred as the love interest in a ballet performance of Cathy Marsden’s The Cellist. This was part of our partnership with the Royal Opera House.
On our blog, they've also shared their experiences of adapting to diagnosis, and transitioning to wheelchair use.
Let's fund the MS treatment revolution
We now know more about MS than ever before. Your donations have funded groundbreaking research and trials, bringing us closer to treatments that will stop or slow MS progression for everyone.
Your support is the most powerful force we have against MS.
Let’s stop MS together. Donate today to fund the MS treatment revolution.
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Drive forward the MS treatment revolution
Thanks to four generous supporters matching your donations during our Spring Appeal, we’ve now raised over £675,000!
Thank you for your support.
If you haven't yet donated, it's not too late. You can still donate today and fund life-changing MS research.