THE full line up for Russell Howard’s charity gig has been revealed after top comedians came forward to support the star following the death of his son.
On Friday, the 46-year-old revealed his wife Cerys had given birth to son Felix earlier this year, but their baby boy sadly died shortly afterwards.
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The comedian thanked the NHS for their support in a post on his Instagram page, and explained how they had set up a charity in their son’s memory.
In his post, Russell said The Felix Foundation “will aim to relieve the needs of parents, siblings and other close family members affected by miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, neonatal death or related bereavement.”
He then announced that a charity gig would be taking place at London’s O2 Arena on February 8 next year to raise money for the charity.
Russell’s comedy friends have rallied around him and signed up to take the the stage, with more guests to be announced.
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But so far, the line up already features big names including Jimmy Carr, Michael McIntyre and John Bishop.
Greg Davies, Aisling Bea, Guz Khan, Mo Gilligan and Michelle Wolf have also been confirmed.
In his heartbreaking post, Russell wrote: “Earlier this year, our family changed forever when our beautiful baby boy, Felix, died shortly after birth.
“During the most devastating time of our lives, the hospital staff who cared for us showed extraordinary compassion, kindness and humanity.
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“They helped us navigate an unimaginable heartache and gave us support when we needed it most.”
He continued: “During our time in hospital, Felix was placed in a cool cot, which meant that my wife and I were able to spend precious hours with our beautiful boy.
Finding support after baby loss
According to the NHS, around one in eight known pregnancies ends in a loss.
Figures from the charity Tommy’s show half of adults in the UK say that they, or someone they know, has experienced pregnancy or baby loss.
You can contact The Miscarriage Association, Tommy’s and Sands for more information.
The NHS also offers counselling services.
“We could hold him, talk to him and tell him just how much we loved him.
“Those hours are among the most precious memories we have of Felix.”
For more details on Russell’s charity gig, please click here.