Benedict Cumberbatch joins Eddie Redmayne in supporting MND Campaign 

Benedict Cumberbatch joins Eddie Redmayne in supporting MND campaign

Benedict Cumberbatch has added his star power to a campaign to support motor neurone disease (MND) awareness month.

The 39-year-old actor has been involved with the MND Association since he was Bafta-nominated for his portrayal of sufferer Professor Stephen Hawking in 2004 BBC drama Hawking.

He has thrown his weight behind the Shortened Stories campaign in a new video, which fellow patron Eddie Redmayne – who won an Oscar for his role as Hawking in The Theory Of Everything – has also championed.

Benedict took a break from filming Sherlock in Cardiff to introduce the “moving and powerful” poem by MND sufferer Robert Davidson, released on Global MND Awareness Day on June 21.

Robert, who has already lost use of his limbs and his ability to speak, can be seen playing with his wife Sariet and six-month-old daughter Maya in the clip, something which will resonate with new fathers Benedict and Eddie.

Eddie Redmayne, pictured with Stephen Hawking at the premiere of The Theory Of Everything, is also a patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (Ian West/PA)

Robert, 34, describes how his diagnosis has given him a new perspective on life. “Don’t let the moment pass,” he urges listeners.

MND is a fatal and incurable disease that attacks the nerves that control movement, so muscles no longer work. MND kills a third of people within a year of diagnosis, and more than half within two years.

June is MND Awareness Month. Visit shortenedstories.org for more information.

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KEYWORDS Showbiz UK, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Health, MND Association, motor neurone disease, Sherlock, Stephen Hawking,

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