Traitors and Dancing On Ice star Mollie Pearce is supporting a vital charity this Christmas

The children’s bladder and bowel charity ERIC has just launched its Radio 4 appeal for this Christmas, which is being read by TV star Mollie Pearce. Appearing in a broadcast on 22 December (which will be repeated throughout the festive period), the Traitors star will raise awareness on behalf of ERIC.

Mollie Pearce: supporting ERIC

Best known as one of the finalists on BBC One’s The Traitors Series 2 and soon to be appearing in ITV’s Dancing on Ice, Mollie Pearce has lived with a stoma since she was 18 years old, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 11. Ulcerative colitis is a condition that causes inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum.

In her broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of ERIC, Mollie will share a story from Eva, one of the many children the charity helps, who has struggled with bowel and bladder issues.

Mollie Pearce said:

Growing up, it completely ruled my life. I struggled going to school because I was scared I couldn’t make the five-minute walk. I was always rushing to the loo, terrified I wouldn’t make it.

When I was 18 I was fitted with a stoma and I’ve learned to live with my condition. It doesn’t stop me living my life and I’m able to talk about it now. But there are so many young people suffering in silence, feeling scared and alone. That’s why ERIC exists. They offer a listening ear, advice and support to families struggling with bowel and bladder issues. They need our support to keep being there for young people who have nowhere else to turn.

The Paediatric Continence Forum estimates that one in nine children and young people across the UK (over 1.5 million) have bowel/bladder problems, and could be higher as some families don’t seek help because of embarrassment, stigma or hoping that the problem will resolve as the child grows. That’s around three children in every primary school class, higher than the number of children living with asthma.

Left untreated, they can cause long-term damage to children’s health and wellbeing.

Shining a light

CEO of ERIC Juliette Rayner said:

We are so grateful to Mollie for helping to shine a light on these issues, which many children and young people deal with every day. She, more than most people, understands what it’s like to suffer in silence, and we hope that by telling this story, she will encourage more people to seek out support.

It’s also essential for us as a charity to raise awareness of the work that we’re doing, and just how much goes into supporting the many children and young people who need us. ERIC relies on the support of donors to run our free helpline and provide online resources which act as lifelines for families who have nowhere else to turn.

It costs around £40 for a continence expert to provide 30 minutes’ telephone support to a young person, and we get thousands of calls every year. By doing this broadcast, Mollie will be helping us to encourage more people to donate and support the work that we are doing day in, day out.

Meet Eva

In her BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Mollie Pearce will tell the story of 14-year-old Eva, a young person supported by ERIC who experienced issues after a blood clot on her spine burst, damaging not only her spinal nerves but also her bowel and bladder.

Eva had to learn how to walk again and manage regular toilet accidents which she found embarrassing and had no control over.

Eva had to change a catheter and do a bowel irrigation every other morning, which involved using water to flush out the stool. Just getting to school seemed like a struggle and after suffering an accident in front of her friends, she lost all her confidence. Leaving the house became difficult and she felt anxious and low.

“When I first heard Eva’s story, I felt a sharp sense of recognition because when you’re struggling with these kinds of issues at such a young age, it can feel lonely. You can’t always talk about it and you live in fear of having an accident in front of your friends,” said Mollie Pearce.

Eva said:

Living with a bowel or bladder condition can really affect your mental health, as well as your body. It was a long time before I felt able to talk to someone about it. Finding ERIC, and realising there were other young people out there living with these things like I am, really helped me.

Meeting Mollie and sharing our experiences was absolutely brilliant and I am so glad she is telling my story, which I hope will help other people feel not so alone, and raise money to help ERIC continue to help other people who are struggling like I was.

Mollie Pearce: faithful to ERIC

Mollie’s broadcast will first air on 22 December on BBC Radio 4, before being repeated twice throughout the festive period and will be available to listen again on BBC Sounds.

Listeners can give via the Radio 4 Appeal website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00268js  or by calling 0800 404 8144.  Or you can write a cheque to ERIC, that’s E.R.I.C. and send it to Freepost, BBC Radio 4 Appeal. Please mark the back of your envelope ERIC.  Please ensure that you make your donations between 22 – 28 December – donations made outside of that window may not reach ERIC.

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