The Secret's Out - Me and IBD Champion Rylan to present on C5

In case you hadn't heard the news today, Rylan Clark - X Factor Finalist, Celebrity Big Brother winner and (most importantly of course!) Crohn's and Colitis UK Champion 2013 - will be presenting Big Brother's Bit on the Side on Channel 5 this year. 


Rylan was really excited when he was doing the Radio Day last week. He gave us an inkling that something big was going to happen... and he was especially happy as he knew that this news and subsequent interest in him would mean he could get some extra publicity for our campaign.


So, you'll be seeing a lot more of our Rylan (there's more news to come but we're sworn to secrecy!) on your screens this year. And we couldn't be happier for him. He worked so hard to promote the Me and IBD campaign and spread awareness about Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD: Crohn's and Colitis) and the work that charity Crohn's and Colitis UK does for people with the conditions.

The boy done good!

Rylan Clark and Amber on Sky News and Lots of Radio Stations!

Brand new Crohn's and Colitis UK Champion Rylan Clark and Amber Gamble (Media Volunteer) took to the airwaves this morning in a marathon awareness raising campaign.

Their first port of call was the Sky News TV studio, where they sat on the sofa and talked to Eamonn Holmes and Charlotte Hawkins about their involvement with Me and IBD and their own personal experiences of the conditions Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

If you missed the live version (well, it was 8am!) here it is again...

Then they were whisked off upstairs to talk to Sky News Radio, which then goes out to a lot of other radio stations around the country (watch this space and we'll update you on how many other radio stations played the interview too).

Then it was off the studios to record back to back interviews (a mixture of live and pre-recorded), cooped up in a very hot studio - the air conditioning was broken!! - and Amber and Rylan were absolute professionals. They got their messages across really well, in a way that everyone would understand. 

They worked tirelessly throughout the day to ensure that we could spread the message about the conditions, the symptoms, Crohn's and Colitis UK, their own personal experiences, the Me and IBD campaign and website AND asked that all teachers, parents, PTAs and pupils download the information sheet "Young People and Children with IBD - A Guide for Schools" which you can download from here

We can't thank Amber and Rylan (and Rylan's team) for giving up so much of their time to help us out. They slogged really hard to make sure that the interviews went smoothly and on time. There was such a great reception from the DJs at the radio stations they spoke to.

As soon as we have it in, we'll give you a more comprehensive list of everywhere that Rylan and Amber featured today.

Rylan Clark joins Me and IBD!

You probably know him best as the hilariously entertaining larger-than-life TV personality that graced our screens on The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother.

When we met him yesterday, however, he was just another person whose life has been touched by Inflammatory Bowel Disease and wants to help raise awareness.

His dear mum, Linda, has had Crohn's Disease for as long as Rylan can remember (all his life!) and he has grown up knowing the pain and difficulties it can bring. He told us that he has always said that if he became famous he wanted to do something for Crohn's and Colitis UK. And, true to his word, he is!

Here he poses with the Crohn's and Colitis UK information sheets - "Children and Young People with IBD - A Guide for Schools".

Rylan is calling for teachers in the UK to download a copy of the guide, as it is estimated that there is likely to be at least one pupil with IBD at every school.

Does your school have a copy?

Did you know that there are a number of laws which may be relevant to a school's responsibility towards its pupils with IBD?

Get clued up - read the guide. And then get your teachers to read it too.

Crohn's and Colitis UK is a certified member of The Information Standard