What's Really Important?

It's easy to get so caught up in day to day life that you forget what's really important. I'll give you a clue, it's not reality television or what someone said online. It's not what you have, it's who you have in your life that makes it special.

Family and friends are what's really important. Spending time with people you love; chatting, laughing, listening, caring, a welcome hug and a warm smile.

Especially when you've been best friends with someone for seventeen years and are as close as sisters. Someone who knows everything about you - good and bad - and still loves you, that's what's really important.

Yep, that's about it.

In loving memory of my beautiful friend

Amanda Campbell

11 March 1969 - 16 November 2012

I miss you. 

My life is richer for having known you.

.

What's Really Important?

She's a Model and She's Looking Good

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

***

On Wednesday night Andy and I travelled down to the Grosvenor House Hotel in London to attend the annual Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show.

I had been before, but this was Andy's first time. After winning one of the charity auctions last time, I left my credit card at home! Eight of us travelled there by limo and we met four other friends at the hotel.

It was an amazing experience. There was a red carpet entrance. We took advantage of the champagne reception. Ahem. The room looked fabulous. The meal was excellent considering they were catering for 800 people. There were plenty of celebrities roaming around too. Most importantly the event raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Breast Cancer Care.

The highlight of the night was fashion show. I didn't really notice the clothes, nice as they were, because my attention was on the models. All of the models, 23 women and 1 man, have survived breast cancer. This particular cancer can dramatically alter your appearance, so to walk down the runway with hundreds of people cheering and clapping must be a massive boost to your self-esteem.

One model in particular caught my eye, my best friend Amanda. She looked stunning.

I'm filling up as I write this. Every time I remember her floating down the catwalk I cry. Watching all of the models was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

My apologies to the Grosvenor for using one of their napkins to dry my tears, I hope the mascara comes out in the wash.

I've run out of superlatives so I'll leave you with the photographs. They're not quite in the right order, but I hope you can get some idea of just how wonderful the night was. The photos were taken by Andy and I and our friend Alan.

Amanda and her proud mum Carola

Amanda's husband Graham, playing the 'Heads or Tails' game

Me, with a mouthful of food! Eagle eyed readers will notice that I am wearing the same dress as last time, but with different accessories. And brown hair.

Amanda and Joe Swash (King of the Jungle, Eastenders)

Amanda on the catwalk, wearing Matthew Williamson

Amanda being escorted by a male model. Jealous? Moi?!

Amanda wearing Oasis and Coast

Amanda wearing Twenty8Twelve and Lisa Edwards

Amanda wearing Twenty8Twelve and French Connection

The entertainment was provided by Beverley Craven

Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopilova from Strictly Come Dancing. This was the auction prize I wanted to bid for. They were offering a dancing lesson at their dance studio in Cheam. The Cheam part made me laugh though, I used to work there and glamorous it is not!

Some celeb gossip for you. Lilia stormed out before the end with a face like thunder. She was followed by a grimacing Darren. He looked like he was used to it!

Ben Ofoedu and Vanessa Feltz on their way to the loo.

More celeb gossip. "Andy Snubs Soap Star". While Andy was taking this photo of Vanessa and her fiance, Kara Tointon waited patiently to get past. Andy thanked her, but didn't ask to take her picture. Well, we don't watch Eastenders. He had no idea who she was!

Denise Lewis

The lovely Gail Porter. She was a fabulous host.

'Lord' Jeffrey Archer. Whatever you may say about him, the man is a brilliant charity auctioneer. After the main auction he asked for 80 people to stand up and donate £250 each to pay for a breast cancer patient to have hair-loss consultancy. In five minutes Archer raised an additional £20,000.

The patron of Breast Cancer Care, Cherie Blair

Geri Halliwell.

More celeb gossip. Geri arrived and was photographed, but she didn't stay for the show. Apparently Lisa Snowden was there too, but we didn't see her at the show either.

Joe Swash and Kara Tointon. Andy knows who she is now.

Denise Lewis and Kara Tointon on the catwalk, modelling an auction prize

Tara Palmer-Tompkinson. Even more celeb gossip for you. I saw Tara up close a few times on the night and she is far more beautiful in real life than on TV or in photographs. And those shoes were HIGH!

Jonathan Ansell (ex G4 opera singer)

Ooh, the excitement! Look what we got in our goody bags

The Show program and ticket

And finally here are a few grainy videos.

Apologies for the whooping, squealing and cheering, but I was standing next to the camera!

The first video is Amanda on the catwalk in the 1920's section.

The second video is Amanda in her beautiful Matthew Williamson dress in the finale.

Finally, all of the models came out individually at the end to receive flowers and thanks from Cherie Blair.

I hope you enjoyed the show!

She's a Model and She's Looking Good

Cancer, Fashion and Rings

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This is my best friend Amanda. This beautiful photograph is of Amanda on her wedding day in 2005.

A few weeks after the wedding Amanda rang me. I knew she had found a lump in her breast. I knew she was going for a mammogram and a biopsy. I didn't imagine for one moment that it would be anything serious. I was waiting for her call. In the tiniest voice I've ever heard she told me 'I've got cancer'.

I'm afraid I was incapable of keeping a stiff upper lip. I wailed and cried with her. I shouted 'it's not fair'.

Amanda was just 36. Her children were only 11 and 7 years old.

Amanda had a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She was very sick. She lost her hair.

She never stopped battling and she beat it. I'm so proud of her.

A couple of weeks after her major reconstruction surgery, in October 2006, we went to the Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show. Here we are about to get into the limo:

Amanda is second left, with her newly grown hair. I'm third from the right.

We had an amazing night at the Grosvenor House Hotel. It was great fun celeb-spotting. We saw Cherie Blair, Natasha Kaplinsky, Duncan From Blue and Geri Halliwell among others. There were goody bags and Swarovski crystals in the carpet.

The fashion show was one of the most moving things I've ever seen. All the models (male and female) have had breast cancer. My hands were bruised from clapping.

There was a charity auction. As Amanda recalls, she nipped to the loo and when she got back I was bidding. I outbid Kenny Goss (George Michael's partner) and won the Romantic Lot.

Yes, I had been drinking! I was also celebrating getting engaged to Andy a few days before.

I won't say what my winning bid was, but I had to raise my credit card limit to make the payment.

The Romantic Lot was a weekend in a luxury hotel (only 20 miles from home), a hire car (forgot to claim this bit of the lot) and the chance to spend the weekend at the Jon Dibben Jewellery workshop, with a £2000 voucher to spend at Jon's shop.

We had the most amazing time. Jon and his team made us so welcome. They even said they were happy we had won instead of Kenny Goss! Andy and I made, from scratch, a silver ring each, mounted with a tiny blue diamond. We also chose my engagement ring and our wedding rings. We spent time with the goldsmiths who made them. This makes our rings even more special.

We haven't been to the fashion show since 2006 for one reason (having Presley in 2007) or another (having Cash in 2008), but we are going this year.

I'm delighted to say that Amanda has been chosen to be a model at the 2009 Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show. I can't wait to see her on the catwalk. I will be taking my camera and a whole box of tissues. I'll report back next week and let you know how we get on.

This year however I won't drink quite so much champagne and I'll be leaving my credit card at home!

Cancer, Fashion and Rings