In a profoundly moving segment on Friday's edition of This Morning, presenter Rochelle Hues broke down in tears as an 11-year-old fan of the movie Wicked shared the powerful story of her cancer battle.
A Young Fan's Brave Journey
Lola Tucker, who has been described as the film's 'biggest fan', appeared on the ITV sofa with her mother, Kaisha. They spoke with hosts Rochelle Hues, 36, and Dermot O'Leary, 52, about Lola's difficult journey after she was diagnosed with a rare cancer last year.
The family's ordeal began when Kaisha noticed her daughter was limping. After multiple trips to doctors and the hospital, an X-ray revealed the shocking cause: a 10cm tumour in Lola's left thigh. The young girl subsequently underwent chemotherapy and surgery. Thankfully, she has since been given a 'great' prognosis for her recovery.
Finding Solace in Wicked
Throughout her challenging treatment, the highly anticipated film Wicked: For Good, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and is released in cinemas on Friday, 21st November, became a crucial source of positivity for Lola.
Rochelle remarked, 'Wicked really kept you positive during that moment, because I can imagine as that diagnosis happens, everything happens ever so quickly. Did it keep you positive?'
Lola enthusiastically agreed, explaining a pivotal moment that gave her strength. 'Yeah because I kept on searching on the internet and I was seeing videos of Cynthia Erivo - I saw a video of her, she didn't have any hair, so I was like "Mum look! Cynthia has got no hair!" It just kept me going the whole time. I was like "Wow!"'
An Emotional Verdict
The interview reached its most poignant moment when Dermot O'Leary asked Lola for her verdict on the film. Looking directly down the camera, the 11-year-old delivered a review that left presenter Rochelle visibly emotional.
'I think it was just so good, I would 100% give it a 10/10,' Lola stated. 'It did make me cry at the end when they sung For Good because it was like my treatment is done for good.' As the camera panned out, both Rochelle and Dermot were seen struggling to contain their emotions at her heartfelt words.
Lola continued, 'And I don't have to go through that again. I would definitely go and see it. My cousin Marnie, she's also a huge fan and she was like "Can you come and watch it with me?" And I was like yes of course I can! It's just so good.' The camera then zoomed in on Rochelle, who was seen dabbing a tear from her cheek.
The young girl had already captured public attention earlier in the week after a hilarious encounter at the Wicked: For Good premiere in London. In a now-viral clip, Lola can be seen calling out to actress Ariana Grande, asking her to sign her trainers. As Ariana obliged, Lola cheekily confessed, 'By the way, my cousin thinks you're fit!'
When Rochelle asked if she was scared to wear the autographed shoes, Lola's mum interjected, 'She's not allowed to!' Lola chimed in, 'I was like "Mum I'm not allowed to wear them because I had an ulcer on the back of my foot from my cast. So I was like mum, I've only worn them like six or seven times!"' Rochelle kindly suggested, 'We need to get you one of those perspex shoe boxes to keep them nice!'
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX.
