I’m A Celebrity contestant and Manchester rapper Aitch raised £26,315 for a Down’s syndrome charity, following donating a portion of the sales profit from one of his songs to them previously.
Aitch, 25, whose real name is Harrison James Armstrong and who has a 16-year-old sister, Gracie, who has Down’s syndrome, reportedly raised the money for the Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA) by taking part in a Padel Party event in Manchester organised by his family.
Aitch, who is a patron of the organisation, wrote a song titled My G about his sister, donating £10,000 from the budget for the music video to the DSA, along with a share of profits from the song’s sales.
Following their fundraising, Aitch’s family said, “As a family, we experience both the joys and the challenges of raising a child with Down’s syndrome. Alongside the challenges comes an incredible amount of love, perspective and moments of pure joy that shape our lives every day”.
“Events like this are so important in helping raise awareness, build understanding and create a more inclusive world where difference is accepted and celebrated. They also play a vital role in supporting organisations like the Down’s Syndrome Association, whose work makes a real difference to families like ours”, they added.
“We hope the day brought people together, inspired new perspectives and highlighted the importance of community, support and opportunity for all”, Aitch’s family said.
Rapper revealed he appeared on I’m a Celebrity to raise awareness about people with Down’s syndrome
Aitch has previously revealed he went on the show to raise awareness about people with Down’s syndrome and has publicly lamented the fact that under UK law, it is possible to have an abortion up to birth in cases where the unborn baby is diagnosed with the condition.
He criticised the abortion law in the UK ahead of his appearance on the ITV show, saying, “I’ve just learned certain things over the years that make me a bit sad. In terms of you can be a day before giving birth, and if you find out your child’s got Down Syndrome, you can still have the option to terminate it”.
“Whereas in another situation, if your kid doesn’t have that, you’ve only got a certain amount of time before you can abort”.
Aitch highlighted his close relationship with Gracie, describing her as “the most perfect girl I’ve ever met” and saying “’I wouldn’t even be half the person I am if she wasn’t here”.
Ahead of appearing on the show, he told the Daily Mail “I don’t want anyone to be like disheartened or feel s*** if they do find out someone in the family’s got Down Syndrome. It’s a blessing”.
“You’re going to have the best time of your life as long as you’re spending it with that person”.
“My main thing, really and truly, is because I don’t want Down Syndrome to be seen as a negative thing”.
“I don’t want anyone to go like, oh yeah, my kid’s got Down Syndrome, or my sister’s got Down Syndrome”.
“And anyone to have the reply of, ‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that’ because it’s just definitely not the case. They’re the best people in the world”.
Under the Abortion Act 1967, the current abortion limit is 24 weeks, but for cases in which a baby is diagnosed with a disability, including Down’s syndrome, abortion is currently available up to birth.
The Down’s syndrome advocacy group ‘Don’t Screen Us Out’ called the abortion law “discriminatory”, whilst Sandra Parda of the Life Institute said “Aitch is right that the current UK abortion law allowing for abortions up to birth in the case of a disability is very sad, it is also very inspiring that he is actively raising awareness about Down Syndrome so we can see just how flawed this law really is”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “We are grateful to Aitch and his family for raising money for such a worthwhile cause”.
“Aitch is right to highlight the discriminatory mistreatment of people with Down’s syndrome under our abortion law, and it is encouraging that he is using his high-profile to remind others of the humanity of people with this condition”.
