TV personality Chris Hughes and Flat jockey Kieran Shoemark have spoken up about their personal struggles to help raise awareness of men’s health issues in partnership Movember, the official charity partner of QIPCO British Champions Day which takes place at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 19th October 2019.
Chatting in the Movember Man Van, which will be on course on QIPCO British Champions Day offering free haircuts, shoe shines and men’s health advice, the friends and Gloucestershire locals talked candidly about their past experiences with both mental and physical health issues, in the hope it will encourage other men to speak up during times of hardship and show that talking can save lives.
Chris, a presenter for ITV Racing, said: “Kieran and I have had quite different experiences but we both found that opening up and talking about what we were going through was the best thing we could have done.
“As men we do sometimes feel like we can’t be honest or show our vulnerability but the sooner you open up, the better. Hopefully by sharing our stories we can encourage other men to seek the help they might need.”
Nearly 12 months on from a failed drugs test and subsequent suspension from racing, Kieran described how finally being honest was the catalyst for getting his life back on track.
The promising jockey, who has been widely praised for his honesty, explained: “Since I asked for help, I can’t stress how drastically my life has changed beyond mine and anyone’s recognition I think.”
Movember is the leading global voice in addressing the biggest issues facing men’s health including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. This is the first charity partnership for QIPCO British Champions Day, which has sought to raise awareness of these issues amongst the hundreds of thousands of UK race fans throughout the year, as well as contributing to Movember’s vital fundraising efforts.
Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series said: “We’re proud to have Movember as the official charity partner of QIPCO British Champions Series and for the Movember Man Van to be on course for QIPCO British Champions Day, helping to raise awareness about the vital work they do tackling the biggest health issues facing men. With free haircuts and much more on offer, I hope everyone is able to stop by to enrich what will already be a fantastic day.”
Anne-Cecile Berthier, Movember UK Country Director said: “We’re really proud to be the first ever Official Charity of the QIPCO British Champions Series. By working together we’ve been able to positively impact the lives of many men from both the horseracing and wider communities”.
The Movember Man Van will attend QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday 19th October at Ascot Racecourse, where you can find out more about men’s health issues.
Video credit: QIPCO British Champions Day.
Karen can usually be found glued to her computer or at the stables. Having edited several national magazines she co-founded Eclipse Magazine in 2008 after realising that many of her friends were nervous about going racing due to lack of information – what to wear, how to bet etc.
She absolutely loves her job (how many people can say that?!) and is truly grateful to all supporters of and contributors to Eclipse Magazine.
If you are reading this she would like to say THANK YOU! (And please spread the word about Eclipse…!!)
