A 12-year-old schoolgirl who raised nearly £250,000 for childhood cancer research after being diagnosed with a brain tumour has been surprised with a Pride of Britain Child of Courage Award on The Masked Singer.
Kirsty Waugh was watching the ITV show from the studio audience when host Joel Dommett and judge Davina McCall called her onto the stage. Davina, who was also diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2024, announced: “My friend Kirsty’s here tonight. Will you come and join me on stage? We’ve both been going through the same thing. This was when I had my brain tumour and I had it removed. I met Kirsty then. I’ve actually arranged a bit of a surprise.”
A double reveal on stage
As the man in the mask walked on, Kirsty wasn’t sure who it was at first, until he said: “I know what it takes to be king of the castle and I’m certainly no stranger to changing ends.” She guessed: “Is it Alan Carr?” after which the studio audience chanted “Take it off! Take it off!”
After the reveal, Alan Carr gave Kirsty a big hug and said: “I’m so pleased to meet you and I’ve got another surprise for you. You’ve won a Pride of Britain Award. You so deserve it.” A gobsmacked Kirsty said: “That’s amazing, I’m still not processing it.” She will receive the Child of Courage Award at the Pride of Britain gala this month, in partnership with P&O Cruises.
Crochet for Cancer campaign
Kirsty was 10 when she began experiencing eyesight problems, memory lapses and fatigue in 2024. In November of that year, she was taken to hospital after being sick out of the blue, and an MRI scan revealed a brain tumour. She had a seven-hour operation, but surgeons were unable to remove much of the tumour, which she nicknamed Terry, so she began a 70-week course of chemotherapy.
Despite impaired vision, Kirsty had just learned to crochet and continued by touch, creating a bunting triangle to represent every chemo session. Her ‘Crochet for Cancer’ campaign raised more than £120,000 for Children With Cancer UK. She received a message of support from diver Tom Daley, a fellow crochet fanatic.
Global campaign and new treatment plan
At the end of last year, Kirsty was told her treatment had stopped working, though it had unexpectedly restored much of her eyesight, and she had to begin a new 85-week plan. She then launched ‘My Name Is Kirsty’, a global campaign to track down her namesakes, mapping them digitally to raise funds for brain tumour research. She has connected with more than 14,000 Kirstys across the world, in more than 50 countries and all seven continents, including TV presenters Kirsty Allsopp and Kirsty Gallacher.
Donations through Kirsty’s website have raised more than £125,000 for OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity. Davina, 59, revealed her own brain tumour diagnosis in November 2024 after a health scan following a menopause talk. She had a craniotomy to remove a rare 14mm colloid cyst on her brain.
Davina says: “Kirsty is the most amazing, courageous, brave little girl, who just wants to help other people. I had been diagnosed with a tumour in the middle of my brain and fortunately for me, I could have it removed. Kirsty has a type of tumour that you can’t remove, which is a lot.”
Family support and future plans
Kirsty’s dad Mat, 54, a children’s author, says: “Davina got in touch and said, ‘Why don’t we meet up?’ So she came round one sunny afternoon, just popped in for tea, and spent an hour and a half with Kirsty just chatting. The connection is personal with her because she had a brain tumour. Her operation to remove her brain tumour was, we found out, on the same day that Kirsty had her first diagnosis. So it was a very serendipitous meeting.”
Mat adds: “Kirsty never got a headache, which is the one symptom that everyone knows about. Also as we now know, it’s a slow-growing brain tumour. So she might have had it since she was born, or for years. There’s absolutely no way to tell. Kirsty’s tumour is benign, but as the charities explain, ‘Benign isn’t fine’, because it’s growing in a place it can’t grow. Unfortunately about 17 weeks into the second chemo treatment, Kirsty got an allergic reaction, so we’re now waiting on a new plan.”
Kirsty’s mum Kate, 52, a teacher, says: “We’re so proud of her. I just wish I could go through it instead of her.” Kirsty, who also has an older sister, 18-year-old Doris, says: “I am currently in year 8. When I’m older I want to be a nurse, I want to be creative and make stuff. I want to be a journalist. I want to work on movies. There are so many things I want to be. I do try to live in the moment because everything’s uncertain and you don’t know what the future holds. I can’t decide that this is happening but I can decide that it’s not going to bring me down.”
The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards air on Thursday 22 October at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. To connect with Kirsty or donate, visit mynameiskirsty.com.
