AMBASSADORS
JJ Anisiobi
JJ has been loyally supporting the MND Association for many years and continues to raise money and awareness for the MND community as well as championing our campaign work.
JJ said “I didn’t really know anything about MND until my grandma Grace was diagnosed with it in 2015. She went from being a talkative active globetrotter to someone who struggled to breathe on her own. After watching first-hand how the illness destroyed her over the course of a little more than two years – and eventually took her life – I know the pain that millions of people will experience seeing the same thing happen to those they love.
I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy – and it’s why I’m dedicating my time as an ambassador for the MND Association, fighting for a cure”.
JJ is a Politics, Current Affairs and Entertainment broadcaster and journalist. He was a presenter on TalkTV for 3 years, joining from OK magazine, where he spent 4 years as Head of News and TV. Prior to that, JJ was a senior TV and showbiz journalist at The Mirror, and has worked on many newspapers including The Sun, Metro and The Daily Mail.
Gina Bellman
Gina’s mother, Helen, sadly died from MND. Gina wrote the foreword for the MND Association’s care guide and continues to support the Association by supporting our campaigns and raising awareness of MND as well as championing fundraising initiatives
Gina Bellman is a New Zealand born actress who has appeared in multiple TV programmes in the UK and America, as well as having starred in a number of feature films and theatre productions. She currently lives in the USA, playing one of the main characters in the popular series Leverage, followed by the sequel series Leverage: Redemption.
Daniel Brocklebank
Daniel has supported us for nearly 20 years and is a tireless advocate of all aspects of the MND Association's work, including fundraising, campaigning and awareness. Daniel has appeared in Coronation Street since 2014 playing Billy Mayhew. His character Billy is married to Paul Foreman (played by another Association supporter Peter Ash) who is living with MND.
Daniel has said of the MND storyline: ‘It’s a very personal subject to me. My grandfather died of motor neurone disease so there is always an importance to handle a storyline with truth and integrity, but for me on this one, it feels even bigger. ‘Because MND is such a cruel disease, anything that we can do to help people who are either living with MND or people who are related to people with MND, will hopefully help raise some money and make some steps towards finding a cure.’
Daniel’s other acting credits include portraying Ivan Jones in ITV1’s Emmerdale as well as appearing in numerous Royal Shakespeare Company theatre productions. Daniel is known for his film performances in The Hole, The Hours and Shakespeare in Love which won him a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Olivia Lee
Olivia lost her grandma to MND and has been a staunch supporter of our work ever since, including championing campaigns such as the successful United to End MND Campaign leading to the Government committing £50milion to MND research over five years.
Olivia is an award-winning comedian, actress, screenwriter and TV presenter. She has a long track record of creating and writing her own television comedy shows. Olivia got her break on Channel 4's hit comedy show Balls of Steel with her own slot called Prank TV with Miss Lee. Off the back of this success, she created her own comedy vehicle for Channel 4, Olivia Lee's Naughty Bits. This led to her own series which she created for Comedy Central; Olivia Lee: Dirty, Sexy, Funny which ran for two successful seasons.