What's GOOD for you..
WHEN the coronavirus crisis struck, TV star Jake Quickenden was keen to help.
The two-time X Factor contestant’s plans to spend six months singing on a cruise ship were cancelled, and at first he volunteered to be an NHS responder.
But when his help wasn’t needed, he put his musical talents to use instead, writing The Quarantine Song to raise funds for the NHS.
And the 31-year-old former Hollyoaks actor, who also won Dancing On Ice in 2018, certainly has plenty of reason to be grateful to the nation’s health service.
He says: “They’ve always been there for my family when we’ve needed them.
“It wasn’t about chart positions, it was about giving a little something back, a way of showing my gratitude.”
Jake, currently spending lockdown in Boxted, Essex, with girlfriend Sophie Church and her son Freddie, has often needed the NHS.
He says: “I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to go to hospital, I feel I could actually be a doctor. I’ve suffered multiple broken legs and broken noses.”
In November he broke his neck after slipping by a pool while on holiday in Bali. He says: “I had 28 stitches in my head, which was horrible,
and had to pull out of the Dancing On Ice Christmas special.”
The Scunthorpe-born star’s family have been hit by cancer over the years.
When he was 14 his mum got skin cancer. She made a full recovery after treatment, but, tragically, Jake’s dad Paul died from bone cancer in 2008. And a year later Jake’s brother Oliver got cancer
■ too and died aged just 19. Jake adds: “The NHS was amazing throughout it all. It really is something we take for granted until we need it.”
Now he’s been using lockdown to help raise funds for Cancer Research, supporting the charity’s Race For Life At Home campaign. He says: “You can do any challenge at home and every little helps.
“I’m doing a Facebook
Live high-intensity interval training class. But people can aim for a record number of burpees or a marathon yoga session. Anything goes and even a fiver can make a big difference at the moment.”
Jake suffered anxiety attacks in the aftermath of his family traumas. But he overcame them to get back to performing. Now he’s looking to the future. He says: “There’s no positives in losing your dad or brother but once the dust settled and I’d grieved, I knew it had made me stronger and taught me I need to live my life and make them proud, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Jake is supporting Cancer Research UK’S Race For Life At Home. Sign up at raceforlife.org to get active, join the online Race For Life community. For help or advice about anxiety go to anxietyuk.org. uk or call 03444 775 774.
ICE ONE: The heatwave shows no signs of letting up and you can cool down and stay trim thanks to Marks & Spencer’s low-calorie ice cream. The Count On Us Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream is just 62 calories a serving. That’s only about 10-15 minutes to walk off. VEGGING OUT: The trend for growing your own veggies is booming during the coronavirus crisis and this week is National Growing For Wellbeing Week. Several studies show gardening can help give your mental health a boost.