Northamptonshire mum and son star in TV ad to raise £100m for MS

A Northamptonshire family are starring in a major charity appeal to raise £100 million to stop multiple sclerosis (MS).
Jacqueline Krarup and her son, Ed will be on TV screens from Thursday, October 10.Jacqueline Krarup and her son, Ed will be on TV screens from Thursday, October 10.
Jacqueline Krarup and her son, Ed will be on TV screens from Thursday, October 10.

Jacqueline Krarup, 57, lives with the secondary progressive form of MS. Together with her son Ed, she is now starring in an advertising campaign for the MS Society’s Stop MS Appeal, which launches to the public today (October 8).

Jacqueline – whose older sister Yolanda also lives with progressive MS – said: “The thing with MS is that it gnaws at you. I can’t walk more than ten yards unaided and my sister is in a wheelchair. But I’m still the person I was before my diagnosis, I just have to think a little differently about what I can and can’t do. I can no longer be impulsive.

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“That’s why I wanted to star in the advert – to highlight how MS can be unpredictable and different for everyone.

"The Stop MS Appeal needs to raise £100 million over ten years to find treatments for everyone living with MS, so we don’t need to worry about it getting worse.”

Jacqueline worked in fundraising before her MS forced to her to take early retirement.

Now, she splits her time between riding her pony and volunteering for the Northamptonshire MS Support Group.

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More than 100,000 people live with MS in the UK and a huge number – including Jacqueline – don’t have treatment.

This means that as their condition progresses there is nothing to stop them becoming more disabled.

With the backing of expert scientists, the MS Society claims we can expect to see a range of treatments for everyone in late stage trials by as early as 2025.

“There are so many brilliant researchers and scientists working to stop MS. I urge the general public to get behind this campaign as I really believe we are so close to finding the right treatments for people, like my sister and me, who have progressive MS. This is a success story,” Jacqueline added.

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Jacqueline features alongside three other people with MS in the MS Society film, which shows some of the daily challenges of life with the condition. We see Jacqueline having an MRI, as other stars get ready in the morning or attend physio. They are all singing Fleetwood Mac’s much loved ‘Don’t Stop’ – the Stop MS Appeal anthem, chosen because the lyrics reflect the community’s hope for the future of treatment, and the positive changes possible through the Appeal.

The film, which includes a voiceover from actor Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible: 2), will first air in a slot during Channel 4’s new primetime show the Dog House (Thursday 10 October, 8pm).

The Stop MS Appeal will enable new projects, fund critical infrastructure, and deliver a first-of-its-kind MS clinical trials platform, which together could finally address the major unmet need in MS treatment.

For information about MS or to donate visit mssociety.org.uk. To donate or for more information visit mssociety.org.uk/stop. Or text FUTURE6 to 70800 to donate £5.