Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I had a full-on chat with Wills, like talking to a mate... he is the nicest guy
Sharing kids’ plight helps, says Paddy Shirley gets back in spirit of Christmas Courage winner Moin Younis hails prince
PADDY Mcguinness has said speaking out about his children’s autism was a massive help to the family.
The actor-presenter and wife Christine told the Mirror in July how four-year-old twins Penelope and Leo were diagnosed with the condition.
Paddy, 44, said at the Pride of Britain Awards: “People say it has been good to raise awareness of the condition.
“But it’s not just that – it’s been good for us. It has helped us to know we’re not on our own.
“Even walking up the red carpet, people were asking how we were getting on.”
Christine, 29, said: “Every day, someone gets in touch. We’re still getting messages. I can’t keep up with them all.” STRICTLY Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas plans to celebrate Christmas for the first time since her brother took his own life during the festive season in 2003.
At the Pride of Britain Awards, Shirley, 57, said: “Christmas is always a bit of a sad time for me. I lost my brother at Christmas.
“It’s not something over the past 10 years that I have ever really celebrated.
“But this year I’m hoping to get into the spirit of things and being on the show is going to help that.”
Last weekend, Shirley was branded “rude” for telling host Claudia Winkleman to stand up straight.
But Shirley said: “Everything is just in fun.” AFTER picking up their Pride of Britain Awards, this year’s heroes were treated like royalty, partying with Prince William and a host of celebrities at a ritzy afterparty.
More than 100 stars had gathered to hear the winners’ extraordinary stories of devotion, heroism, bravery and kindness at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB.
And the celebrities stayed long after the awards presentation had ended, getting to know the real VIPS of the evening at the afterparty.
Teenager of Courage winner Moin Younis, 17, had a long chat with Prince William about their beloved Aston Villa.
Moin said: “Prince William had a full-on conversation with me and it was like talking to one of my mates.” Sharing a snap of himself and the prince on Instagram, Moin wrote: “What an honour meeting Prince William. He is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”
Moin, who suffers from epidermolysis which means any tiny knock can leave his skin blistered and bleeding, had admitted to the tearful crowd that some days he does not want to get out of bed.
But the brave teenager, who is an ambassador of Acorns Children’s Hospice, in Birmingham and the West Midlands, won the hearts of every person he met on the night.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spent 10 minutes kneeling down beside him to have a chat at his table.
Lord Alan Sugar and Dermot O’leary also stopped to talk.
Earlier, Moin had had the crowd roaring with laughter when he picked up his award, asking everyone to follow him on Instagram. Over the course of the night, he amassed more than 3,000 followers, including Lady Penny Lancaster.
Louis Walsh even invited him to The X Factor Live shows, telling Moin: “You were great tonight – you deserve your own show. You must come to the show.”
And another X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger topped that by asking Moin: “Can I have your phone number?” She told him: “We need to catch up soon.”
Moin said: “The evening was amazing, it was unbelievable. I can’t even think of one best bit because so many amazing things happened.”
In his first appearance at the Pride of Britain Awards, Prince William chatted to all the winners and said he was inspired by their incredible stories.
And cheeky Moin was not the only youngster to make a huge impression on our A-list guests.
Jimmy Carr sang the praises of bighearted Fraser Johnston, 20, who picked up the TSB Community Partner Award for taking care home residents on trips in the countryside on his trishaw bike with his Cycling Without Age scheme.
Jimmy, who took a selfie with Fraser, alongside comics Paddy Mcguinness and Jason Manford, said: “I think Fraser