Casualty star George Rainsford was so inspired by Scots Huntington’s warrior Gillian McNab he asked her to be an extra on the hit show.
The actor, whose character Dr Ethan Hardy has incurable Huntington’s Disease (HD), struck up a friendship with the palliative care nurse last year after meeting her through a charity campaign.
George, 39, was so amazed by Gillian’s incredible outlook on life he invited her to come down to the set in Cardiff and play a nurse on the popular BBC drama.
Appearing on the show was a bucket list dream come true for the mum-of-three, who 11 years ago was found to have the gene for the hereditary condition, which robs sufferers of the ability to walk, talk and swallow.
George was delighted to help Gillian tick her Casualty dream off her list, which has seen her conquer every rollercoaster in the UK, brave fire and wing walks, skydive from 10,000 feet and raise more than £20,000 for the Scottish Huntington’s Association.
The dad-of-two, who is also backing Gillian’s Dance 100 challenge which takes place next month, said: “Before my character was diagnosed with having the HD gene I had never heard of the condition. I started researching and discovered how devastating it was for families as there is a 50 per cent chance of the disease being passed from parents to children.
“I wanted to do all I could to raise awareness of HD which is like having Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease all rolled into one.
“Last year I became the patron of The Huntington’s Association England & Wales and it was through them I met the wonderful Gillian - she blew me away.”
Call The Midwife star George, who raised more than £6000 for Huntington’s charities by completing a three-day ultra marathon, added: “I was on a Zoom call with representatives of HD associations from across the UK and she spoke of her experiences and how her motto in life was to ‘get busy living not dying.’
“Gillian told me all about her mind blowing bucket list and mentioned how being an extra on Casualty was right at the top. I knew then and there I had to make it happen.
“We were right in the middle of Covid restrictions at the time but the producers were as determined as me to have her on and last August she came down and spent a day filming on set.
“As Gillian is a real-life nurse she didn’t have to try too hard to get into character. We had great fun and everyone loved her. It was a joy to have her on the show. She is a whirlwind character, who lives life to the fullest - a true inspiration to all.”
Gillian, whose three daughters have not taken the test to determine whether they have the HD gene, says filming her scenes on Casualty, which went out last November, was one of the best experiences of her life.
The Scottish Huntington’s Association trustee said: “I had the best day ever. George is the loveliest man and the rest of the cast and crew were just amazing. They made me feel so welcome.
“It was a busman’s holiday for me for I had to pull on a set of scrubs and play a nurse. I ended up being in two scenes. In the first I had to bring a patient out of triage and in the second I had to buy a coffee from a cart and walk across the shot as an ambulance was pulling up.
“I started nursing in 1986 the year Casualty started. I don’t watch any of the other soaps but Casualty is my guilty secret and my go to so actually being in it is more than a dream come true.”
Gillian, whose late mum Myra was diagnosed with HD in 99 when she was 66, added: “I could not believe it when they introduced the Huntington’s storyline. I can’t even describe what it means to me and others that a mainstream show is covering our illness and doing it justice.
“One of the storylines shows Ethan struggling with telling his partner about his HD and revealing how their baby will also be at risk - this is the grim reality facing a lot of families.
“I will be forever grateful to Casualty and especially George for shining a light on the condition. He has gone above and beyond raising both awareness and funds - he is one in a million.”
George, who is married to Scots actress Jaimi Barbakoff and has two sons Kit, seven and Zak, five, is now helping get Gillian’s latest bucket list fundraising project Dance 100 off the ground.
The challenge will see hundreds of people take to Glasgow’s George Square for a massive boogie to a 100-strong playlist on June 12.
The Huddersfield-born actor, who got the Casualty cast together and made a hilarious promo video for the event, said: “Having met so many incredible people like Gillian who are living with HD, I want to do as much as I can to raise awareness. Most people have heard of MND but not Huntington’s.
“Being a dad makes the realities of an HD diagnosis even more poignant. Yes, I could probably cope with my own diagnosis but the thought of my children having it too is heartbreaking. That’s why I try to help when I can and am proud that Casualty continues to explore the HD storyline.
“The Dance 100 challenge is going to be epic and it was a pleasure for me and the cast to get involved.”
Gillian, who is still asymptomtic watched her own mother’s gradual decline from the hereditary disease - and, as a woman whose vocation is to care for people who are nearing the end of their lives, she knows that her own daughters will one day do the same.
But until then she is determined to continue making beautiful memories and raising awareness.
Gillian, who was crowned the Caring Champion at our Scotland’s Champion’s Awards last year, said: “One in 5000 people in Scotland have Huntington’s which is why highlighting the condition is so important.
“We were delighted last year when a record 98 per cent of MSPs backed a motion calling for the expansion of HD services and hopefully this will become a reality soon.”
She added: “I just want to keep rasing awareness and funds until I can no longer do it physically or mentally.
I want to have no regrets when times get tough and I will be able to look back on all these amazing experiences. I will be able to look at the photos of me wing walking and sky diving and the video of me in Casualty and remember I lived my life to the fullest. I
“It’s also good for my girls to see that you can live a good life with the illness and discovering you have the gene is not the end it’s just the beginning of a different chapter.”
For more info go to www.hdscotland.org
