‘Heartwarming' Sam Ryder sings with critically ill children at Disneyland Paris
Eurovision star Sam Ryder has said 'one of the most meaningful and heartwarming things I've ever done' has been singing with critically ill children at Disneyland Paris.
Ahead of the performance on Saturday, the children joined Ryder at the AIR Studios in Hampstead, London, to rehearse the song Viva La Musique, before going on to perform in France at the theme park.
Advertisement
Jax Morris, who was diagnosed at the age of two with a rare genetic blood disease and lives in North Ayrshire, Scotland and Kent-based Molly Townsend-Blazier, who was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukaemia, were among those performing.
Sam Ryder at the launch of the Disney Music Festival at Disneyland Paris (Daniel Kennedy/Disneyland Paris/PA)
The two nine-year-olds were joined by Habiba Konate Naim, 13, from Greater London, who is living with genetic condition Williams Syndrome and has had a life-saving kidney transplant, and Eve Wilson, 16, from the south coast of England, who is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour.
'Singing with these amazing kids was honestly one of the most meaningful and heartwarming things I've ever done,' Ryder said.
'They met as strangers, and it was a joy to watch them become friends as we bonded over the power of music and singing. The whole experience was so pure, and it's been a real honour that I will cherish forever.'
Advertisement
Molly Townsend-Blazier, nine, participated (Daniel Kennedy/Disneyland Paris/PA)
The Make-A-Wish UK supporter said the charity is 'the best of humanity.'
He added: 'It transcends everything – politics, beliefs, all of it. It's only good. It brings out the best in everyone, and I just feel so lucky to be around that energy.'
Ryder said that 'getting to meet and hang out a few weeks' while rehearsing with the children helped break 'the ice so we could just sing, dance, and enjoy the moment together'.
He said: 'The main thing was making sure it felt like their day, building those bonds between them.
Advertisement
'If music was just the backdrop for all of that, then I'm humbled and honoured to have been part of it. They're amazing people — pure beauty, honestly.'
The performance in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at the launch of the Disney Music Festival came ahead of World Wish Day – which takes place on Tuesday – and was a collaboration between Disneyland Paris, charity Make-A-Wish and Ryder.
Sam Ryder at AIR Studios in Hampstead, London, during rehearsals (Daniel Kennedy/Disneyland Paris/PA)
Eve recently received a place at dance college, ahead of her GCSEs, and said her 'dream's always been to perform at Disney, and it's happening'.
Molly's father Ian said: 'At first, we thought we only had months with her.
Advertisement
'We had to wait a week for further tests, and eventually they confirmed it was leukaemia. It's been a challenging journey over the last two and a half, three years, with quite intensified chemo every day.'
When Jax was four, he underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant and then had complications, viruses and autoimmune encephalitis, which the NHS says is a serious condition leading to swelling of the brain.
This caused brain trauma and mobility impairments, but he is determined to try to walk again, and is still in and out of hospital, according to the charity.
Disney and Make-A-Wish have worked together for 45 years, bringing children more than 165,000 wishes around the world and some 20,000 at Disneyland Paris.
Advertisement
Ryder represented the UK at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second with the single Space Man.
He was nominated for an outstanding original music and lyrics Emmy in 2023 for co-writing Fought & Lost, featuring Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, for the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper suffers painful injury as he updates fans from A&E
Kaleb took to his Instagram Stories to outline his exact injury medical emergency Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper suffers painful injury as he updates fans from A&E CLARKSON'S Farm star Kaleb Cooper has revealed he's in A&E after suffering a painful injury. The 26-year-old, who is Jeremy Clarkson's handy-man on the hit Amazon Prime series, was rushed to hospital following a game of football. Advertisement 3 Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper has revealed he's in hospital Credit: PA 3 He captured a snap of his swollen ankle on social media Credit: Instagram 3 Kaleb, 26, then told how he had fractured his ankle Credit: Instagram Kaleb captured his swollen ankle on a video captured to her Instagram page, before revealing he had suffered a fracture. The farming contractor then showcased his limb clad in a black protective boot following an X-Ray, and simply commented: "Not good." Yet a video uploaded shortly afterwards offered more hope for Clarkson's Farm fans, showing the Diddly Squat Farm employee hobbling around in a checked shirt. He told the camera: 'I may be hobbling around as I've fractured my ankle, but I'll still be at the 3 Counties Show on the Sunday, setting up on the Thursday. Advertisement "I'll be doing talks throughout the day, and Hawkestone Cider will be there. So, do pop along and say hello. I'm looking forward to it.' "Even though I may be hobbling around I'll be there - don't you worry! I'll be there." He then proved it was back to work as normal as he captured some hens in their coop. Kaleb's profile rocketed to fame following the release of the show in 2021. Advertisement
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper suffers painful injury as he updates fans from A&E
CLARKSON'S Farm star Kaleb Cooper has revealed he's in A&E after suffering a painful injury. The 26-year-old, who is Jeremy Clarkson 's handy-man on the hit Amazon Prime series, was rushed to hospital following a game of football. 3 3 3 Kaleb captured his swollen ankle on a video captured to her Instagram page, before revealing he had suffered a fracture. The farming contractor then showcased his limb clad in a black protective boot following an X-Ray, and simply commented: "Not good." Yet a video uploaded shortly afterwards offered more hope for Clarkson's Farm fans, showing the Diddly Squat Farm employee hobbling around in a checked shirt. He told the camera: 'I may be hobbling around as I've fractured my ankle, but I'll still be at the 3 Counties Show on the Sunday, setting up on the Thursday. "I'll be doing talks throughout the day, and Hawkestone Cider will be there. So, do pop along and say hello. I'm looking forward to it.' "Even though I may be hobbling around I'll be there - don't you worry! I'll be there." He then proved it was back to work as normal as he captured some hens in their coop. Kaleb's profile rocketed to fame following the release of the show in 2021.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
‘This niche fragrance gets me more compliments than any other - and it's £25!'
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more As a beauty journalist, I've tried more perfumes than I care to admit. My shelves are stacked with plenty of bottles from big-name designer scents to buzzy celeb launches and yet, this little-known niche perfume is the one I keep coming back to. But after years of spritzing and sniffing, I'd finally found a fragrance that stands out and funnily enough, almost no one's heard of it – which is, what I think, makes it so special. From Diem, a London-based fragrance house that's changed how we shop for scent by offering gender-neutral, sustainable scents in small batches and 10ml bottles, comes Love Tangle Eau de Parfum. This surprising fragrance is described by Diem as a scent for the wild at heart. It smells like fragrant honeysuckle and roses winding through overgrown countryside hedgerows, like blackcurrants ripening in the sun, and its warm, musky base really clings to your skin. It starts off bright and juicy, but dries down into something warmer and more grounded. It's the kind of scent that people will ask about – trust me. Featuring notes of cassis, peony, musk and sandalwood make Diem's Love Tangle Eau de Parfum a fruity, feminine scent that lingers on the skin for hours. It's a fresh, youthful scent but sophisticated at the same time. BUY NOW FOR £25 After spritzing it on pulse points and setting foot outside, someone actually stopped me in the street to ask what fragrance I was wearing and, if you're based in London, you'll know this to be a very rare event! If you're thinking that niche fragrance brands don't have a lot to offer in comparison to the likes of say, Dior or YSL, you'd be sadly mistaken. Diem is quietly gaining fans among fragrance lovers and beauty editors alike. As a British fragrance house, it's all about telling stories and conveying emotion through scent. Who hasn't had a memory evoked by a certain fragrance before? More Trending What's so great is that shoppers can purchase the brand's smaller 10ml bottles so you're never wasting product or tossing out a half-used, gone-off bottle. The brand's heart is in sustainability too. Ingredients are all sourced from ethical, environmentally-conscious suppliers, and they've cut back on excess packaging wherever possible. Scent is such a personal thing but, (maybe this is just me) I'm finding more often than not, we're all wearing the same ones. Baccarat Rouge 540, Santal 33, and Black Opium, are all gorgeous and smell amazing, but they just don't feel unique anymore. That's why I'm going to stick to my Diem Love Tangle Eau de Parfum vehemently, and continue to share my love for niche fragrance houses and their incredible scents. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: I tried Molly-Mae Hague's holiday makeup routine – and I'm never going back MORE: This skincare product completely transformed my skin – I get everyone to use it! MORE: Pimple patches remain a cult skincare saviour – and here are the best to buy now
