Advocate
Charlie spent time in Uganda in 2018 filming on the border of the DRC making a documentary film as part of a global campaign highlighting health care and the fight against Malaria. Her documentary was showcased at CHOGM with world leaders including Bill Gates and King Charles.
In 2016, Charlie took on the epic challenge of cycling 3000 miles in 5 weeks from London to Rio for charity, which she successfully completed. Charlie was selected to be a Team GB ambassador for the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio campaign. She was one of the 12 Great Britons and was hosting the games in Rio. She fell criticaly ill, contracting malaria and 3 other tropical diseases. She was given 24 hours to live and put on life support in a coma for 2 weeks. Surviving, with doctors calling her ‘a miracle’ Charlie had to relearn how to walk again, work through brain hemorrhaging and battle for her kidneys to work independently.
Since recovering from her coma, Charlie has become a special ambassador for Malaria No More, leading campaigns with David Beckham and working with the Global Fund and the UN to secure continued international funding in the fight against Malaria.
Charlie was honoured in 2014 in UK Parliament as a Fundraising hero for her Charlie’s Big Challenge that saw her run 250 miles to and from 40 football clubs throughout England, she was also recognised in that year’s JustGiving Award for Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year.
With her advocacy and advisory roles she regularly appears on BBC Breakfast, Question Time Extra Time and C4 news. She was a regular on ITV daytime shows Good Morning Britain and This Morning, including fronting a special feature inside a women's refuge.
Charlie with Harry Redknapp, football manager
Charlie with Gary Neville, former Manchester United player
In 2014, Charlie’s Big Challenge saw Charlie take on the colossal task of running 250 miles through England in just 7 days, to and from 40 football clubs. She wanted to get men talking about abuse so engaged footballer's and football club's in her campaign opening the issue of abuse to an audience it wouldn't necessarily get too. She was recognised in that years’ JustGiving Award for Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year, as well as honoured with an award in Parliament as a Fundraising hero.
Charlie also waived her anonymity and for the first time publicly live on radio told of how she was groomed and sexually abused by her running coach as a teenager. Using her story she created a forum across media to raise awareness around child sexual abuse. The next morning when she woke up she had already received over 4000 emails from people who had had a similar experience to her and continues to be a strong voice and advocate for prevention.
In 2016 Charlie then took on the epic challenge of cycling 3000 miles from London to Rio which she successfully completed in under 5 weeks but then contracted severe malaria and was hospitalised and put on life support with 24 hours to live, she was in a coma for 2 weeks and against all odds and complete organ failure, she pulled through to spend another 2 months in hospital.
She had to relearn how to walk again, work through haemorrhaging which caused temporary loss of vision and speech problems and battle for her kidneys to work independently again. Doctors in both Brazil where she was originally hospitalised and the UK have both described her survival and recovery as a miracle. Charlie has since led campaigns with David Beckham and worked with the Global Fund and UN to secure continued international funding in the fight against malaria. She made a film in Uganda as part of the Malaria Must Die campaign. This included her speaking at CHOGM where Bill Gates was leading the charge.
