Jade Thirlwall from the all-girl ensemble Little Mix set aside her lavish costumes and spent her birthday raising funds for kids diagnosed with cancer.
Instead of a glitz-and-glam party on her special day, the singer, who turned 24, clad herself in a penguin costume and soaked herself in the icy North Sea for a fundraising event. Thirlwall partook in the traditional Boxing Day dip together with people raising funds for Cancer Connections, a London-based organization.
“I really enjoyed it,” Thirlwall, who was dressed as a penguin, told The Shields Gazette. “It was absolutely Baltic, though.”
Jade Thirlwall spends her 24th birthday dipping in the cold 9.5C sea to raise money for local Cancer Connections. 👏 #HappyBirthdayJade pic.twitter.com/OVSUaitocb
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 26, 2016
A longtime donor to the organization, Thirlwall’s participation in the annual event was sentimental. She raised funds for hapless children and remembered her aunt Norma Embleton, who passed away in October after battling pancreatic cancer.
She told the local news site, “It’s lovely to be here – I do it every Christmas Eve. It’s nice to see all the kids and get to chat to everybody and take some pictures for Cancer Connections.”
Aside from immersing in the cold sea, Thirlwall also met with a few cancer-afflicted minors assisted by Cancer Connections. As seen on her Instagram post on Sunday, she handed them Christmas gifts and signed countless autographs for them. “Lovely day at Cancer Connections with these little elves,” she captioned her post.
Little Mix has flattered their fans with hits, particularly with “Shout Out To My Ex”, a song reportedly about member Perrie Edwards’ former sweetheart Zayn Malik. Gianna Francesca Catolico
RELATED STORIES
Little Mix’s new single a ‘shout out’ to bandmate’s ex Zayn Malik
Girl group Little Mix arrives in Manila for one-night concert