Squeeze frontman and television presenter Jools Holland has spoken out for the first time about his prostate cancer diagnosis, which came as a shock following a routine blood test in 2014. The 64-year-old was thankfully diagnosed early, and is now on a mission to make sure men understand more about their risks of the disease. He’s joined forces with Prostate Cancer UK and our founder Professor Jonathan Waxman, to stop lives being rocked by the illness – which affects 47,500 men in the UK each year.
The pair have come together to put on a star-studded musical event at the Royal Albert Hall called Raise the Roof, and they’ve been joined by musicians, comedians and other celebrity supporters. Jools himself penned and conducted the concert, which was accompanied by his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Thousands of fans packed into the world-famous venue to watch Sir Rod Stewart, Paloma Faith, Ruby Turner and Emeli Sande sing their hearts out for a good cause. And a standing ovation was given to all who took to the stage.
Jools, who played piano throughout the evening, was particularly moved by Ruby Turner’s performance of Ray Charles’ Come Rain or Come Shine and by Emeli Sande’s rendition of Etta James’ Something’s Got A Hold On Me. But it was the final song of the night that drew the biggest applause – a cover of Bob Dylan’s When The Levee Breaks, backed by Paloma, who looked stunning in a floor-length silver and gold dress.
As well as the musical acts, the night also saw comedians Omid Djalili, Harry Hill and Stephen K Amos join comedy stars Shaparak Khorsandi and Gina Yashere on the bill. Proceeds from the evening will go towards research into finding a more effective testing approach for prostate cancer which could be used in a national screening programme. More than 1,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each month – and it’s often curable if caught early. That’s why Jools and his friends have teamed up with Prostate Cancer UK to host the Raise the Roof benefit, which will raise funds for research into how to spot it earlier. The event will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on June 22 and tickets are on sale now.
