Joy and sadness at glittering Strictly fundraiser for Claire House

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as a mum shared her heartbreaking story at Claire House Children’s Hospice’s Strictly fundraiser in Liverpool.

The emotional moment came at the city’s Titanic Hotel, where guests gathered in a glitterball-themed room to raise vital funds for the hospice, which supports seriously ill children across Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales.

Mum Louise Cracknell spoke movingly about how Claire House supported her family, from baby groups and hydrotherapy to respite care, and how the charity’s Butterfly support helped them through the most painful goodbye to her daughter Lillian.

“Claire House was like a sanctuary where we were able to come to peace with what had happened and prepare us for what lay ahead,” said Louise.

“Lillian loved being in the breeze and my last wish was to take her into the beautiful garden outside the Butterfly Suites and have the wind blow through her curly hair. The team at Claire House helped me wrap her in her blanket and take her outside one last time. The sun shone on her face, and I knew then, I could let her go.”

Heartbreakingly, Lillian died aged three after being diagnosed with infantile spasms, also known as West syndrome, at four months old. 

“No child should have to go through what Lillian did,” said Louise. “But Claire House helped to make her life happy and helped us cope with the immeasurable loss that losing a child brings. For us, Claire House is like extended family. They helped us navigate through our darkest days. But they also made happy memories that we’ll treasure forever.

“We’ve been asked ‘how do you do it?’ and the answer is because we had Claire House by our side. They truly are amazing!”

Seven couples then took to the dancefloor for a dazzling night of sequins and standing ovations, lifting spirits and raising money for families going through the unimaginable.

They included Lillian’s aunty, Harriet Davidson, and Claire House dad Jamie O’Toole, who did the rhumba in memory of baby son Milo, along with Geo Harris, Cheryl Cain, Malcolm Gorton and Jack Beswick.

The night’s winners, Josh Maddison, 22, from Liverpool and his professional dance partner Zara Dunn, wowed with a powerful paso doble.

Josh said: “We were lucky enough to visit Claire House Liverpool [a former monastery in West Derby] and hear about the amazing work they do.

“We talked about all the extra funding they need for the Liverpool site, and the importance of end-of-life care.”

Graduate research engineer Josh, who works at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, lifted the trophy after just 10 hours of lessons.

He said: “It’s been an amazing experience from start to finish. I loved the training and could see myself getting better. I can’t recommend it enough. Especially when you’re taking home the glitter ball!”

Dancers impressed the judges – Callum Broad, who was last year’s winner after dancing in memory of his baby nephew, Lennon; head judge and choreographer Yvonne Dunn; Brookside star Suzanne Collins; and Wirral choreographer James Wilson.

A heartfelt tribute video was played in honour of Yvonne's husband and Claire House supporter Steve Dunn, celebrating his lasting impact on the Claire House Strictly family.

The event, attended by around 300 people and hosted by Claire Simmo and Scott Hughes, raised £50,000 for the charity.

Event organiser Rachel Handley said: “Claire House Does Strictly just keeps growing, and this year’s event was one of our best yet. The passion, energy, and dedication from our dancers was phenomenal. Each one helped shine a light on the work we do, and the challenges families face when a baby, child or young adult is seriously ill.

“We simply couldn’t do this without our incredible sponsors, including ChloBo, or the team at Headliners Dance School. Together, they make nights like this possible and ensure Claire House can be there for every family who needs us.”