There is an increased recognition in the UK of the vital role that carers and unpaid carers play in families and communities. Celebrities are breaking the 4th wall between them and us by raising awareness of the challenges they have also experienced as unpaid carers. Here are a list of some famous carergivers
Emma Heming Willis, (US model and actor), Bruce Willis’ wife.
Emma has been sharing the responsibility of care with professional carers since Willis’ dementia diagnosis. In an interview, she described herself as Bruce’s ‘care partner’ providing support while also managing her own care, (Mirror, 2023). She added, “Caregivers are our unsung heroes. We need to check in on them just as much as we check in on the person they are caring for.”
Demi Moore (actress), Bruce Willis’ former wife and mother to their three children.
Demi shares in the caring responsibilities of her ex husband, actor Bruce Willis.
Lindsey Burrows, physiotherapist and wife to the late Leeds Rugby legend, Rob Burrows.
Lindsey was a ‘sandwich carer’, providing care for her husband and children. She interviewed other unpaid carers, describing the emotional and physical challenges in an ITV documentary, Who Cares for Our Carers. This documentary is only available in the UK, on ITV and the ITVX app, search ‘Tonight’, Series 26, scroll to Feb, 1st.
Kate Garraway, Broadcaster and journalist.
In 2023 and 2024, the UK presenter of Good Morning Britain, Kate Garraway, opened up about her experiences as a ‘sandwich carer’, for her late husband and her children. She documented her challenges as an unpaid carer, including emotional readjustment and her battle to finance professional care for him when she wasn’t earning. She was the first celebrity in the UK to identify the problems within a struggling system. Full documentary available on ITV & ITVX
Queen Latifah, Actress and rapper was a caregiver to her mother.
She highlighted the importance of doing things for yourself when you’re a caregiver ‘Something that gives your mind a break and your spirit a break, and allows you to refresh yourself so that you can come back to this real situation with a fresh mind and a positive attitude.’
Ed Davey, carer & Liberal Democrat party leader.
Liberal Democrat Leader, Ed Davey, cares for his son with complex needs. Ed Davey used his inaugural speech as the new leader of the Lib Dems, to be the “voice of nine million carers” (2020). In the lead up to the 2024 election, he raised the manifesto and expectation bar significantly for all carers, recognising the work that they do and promising to write off their debts. Although the LibDems didn’t win the 2024 election, it is hoped their 72 MPs in parliament can be a recognisable voice of change for carers and unpaid carers:
“Caring is why I got into politics. It isn’t just my story, it is the story of millions of family carers around the country working hard to look after their loved ones. For too long carers have been treated as an afterthought by this […] government. Thousands of carers are being shamefully hounded in the overpayments scandal, all because of the unfair cliff-edge for Carer’s Allowance and the DWP’s incompetence,” (Davey, 2024).
Cue mic drop!