By Tim Saunders on
Olivia Newton-John's Great Walk To Beijing charity event is into its 19th day and has already raised over $1.5 million and gathered sponsorship pledges from over 6000 people from around the world.
The last few days has seen the end of stage 4 of the event, which involves a group of celebrities and cancer survivors walking the length of the Great Wall of China in 21 days and raising $5 million for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Over 142 kilometres have been walked by the group so far.
One star who has just finished her part in the walk is former Hollyoaks actress Gemma Atkinson, who walked the first four stages.
“I’m enjoying every minute, but it’s pretty hard work,” the 23-year-old said prior to finishing the walk. “I go to the gym five times a week and I think I’m quite fit, but I have been finding this quite gruelling. But I’m determined to make it to the end. I’ve vowed to myself that I’ll find the stamina to do it. It’s an amazing experience. And it’s been such an eye-opener – we’ve been walking past really isolated parts of China. I am missing [my boyfriend] Marcus, but he’s really proud of me for doing this so that definitely helps keep me going. It’s pretty tough! Thankfully cancer hasn’t touched me or my family, but being a female I am very aware of how common breast cancer is and I want to do my part to help.”
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
