The special issue is guest-edited by Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh, who exclusively shares the emotional experience of visiting Uganda for Sport Relief – days before a film of the journey will air as part of Sport Relief across the weekend of 19-21 March.
As guest editor of a very special Sport Relief issue of the UK’s best-loved celebrity weekly Now, Kimberley gives a frank account of the realities of the poverty and disease she encountered – as well as seeing just how the money she raised by climbing climbing Kilimanjaro last year is helping bring hope to stricken communities in Africa.
“Although it was a sad trip, it was nice to see the difference the money we raised climbing Kilimanjaro last year has made,” says Kimberley, 28. “I think even though I had been on a trip like that before, and you see things in the press and on TV, none of that prepares you for the shocking reality.”
As well as providing an exclusive interview for Now, Kimberley has taken her guest-editing duties very seriously, says the publisher. Spending a day in the office with the editorial team, she’s penned the editor’s letter, she’s the guest commentator on Now’s popular ‘The Week In Outfits’ franchise, and she does a session in Now’s Fashion cupboard, selecting and trying on her favourite spring trends and sharing her style secrets with readers, including a confession about how Girls Aloud keep their heels on when they perform.
Now editor Abigail Blackburn says: “It's been a pleasure to work with Sport Relief to put together this very special issue of the magazine. Kimberley not only provided a fantastic insight into her emotional journey to Uganda, but she rolled her sleeves up and took on her guest-editing duties with gusto.”
Kimberley also introduces another Sport Relief exclusive, as Denise Van Outen interviews David Walliams – only for Now. David, who led the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride, tells of the “chaffing” in intimate areas after the gruelling cycle challenge, as well as his mum’s tearful reaction when he announced his engagement.
The special Sport Relief issue of Now carries the full Kimberley Walsh interview and is on sale Tuesday March 16, priced £1.40. Five pence from every copy sold on the UK newsstand will go directly to Sport Relief.
About Now
IPC Media says: “Now is the UK's best-loved celebrity magazine. It's packed with the biggest celebrity news, the latest gossip, the hottest fashion and the best pictures. It has everything a reader needs to know about celebrity life and much, much more. On sale every Tuesday.”
About Sport Relief
Sports Relief says: “As one of the UK’s biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active, raise cash and change lives. The Sport Relief Weekend takes place from Friday 19th March to Sunday 21st March 2010 including a night of Sport Relief telly on BBC One and the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile events across the UK on Sunday 21st March. All the cash raised by the public will help transform the lives of those living tough lives across the UK and the world’s poorest countries.
Since its launch in 2002, millions of people have taken part in Sport Relief, helping to raise over £80 million. Sport Relief has a unique history of dedicated people doing extraordinary things to rise to the challenge, from David Walliams’ astonishing swim across the English Channel to Eddie Izzard’s truly amazing marathon a day around the UK.”
