Showbiz stars UK victims of
BRITAIN’S best-loved stars are clearing out their closets to help domestic abuse victims.
Dame Helen Mirren, Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood and columnist Kym Marsh are among celebrities donating clothes to the OK! magazine Closet Clear Out campaign.
These will be auctioned, with all the money going to the charity Refuge.
The campaign comes amid increasing concerns that domestic abuse is increasing during the lockdown.
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who gave a signed T-shirt, said: “As a child I witnessed repeated violence against my mother – but there was nowhere to go for help. The truth is, domestic violence is protected by silence.
“More women and children, just like my mother and me, will continue to experience abuse unless we speak out against it, that is why I was happy to give my support to this campaign.”
Dame Joan Collins, who is donating her black diamante heels, said: “I’m very sad to hear domestic violence is on the rise, and I am glad to be part of this very important OK! campaign.”
Dame Helen, patron of Refuge, said: “Self-isolation is a strange time for us all, but it’s so important that we look out for vulnerable women and children who are experiencing domestic abuse right now.”
Calls to Refuge rose by 49 per cent and online pleas for help increased by 400 per cent in recent weeks.
Refuges are running out of space, with many full or effectively closed amid an “epidemic inside this pandemic”, Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird warned last week.