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David Schwimmer is competing on this year’s ‘Celebrity Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer’ show as his grandmother and ex-wife’s mum were killed by the disease – which has also afflicted his sister.
The ‘Friends’ actor, 56, who has 11-year-old daughter Cleo with his former wife Zoë Buckman, 37, who he divorced in 2017 after a seven-year marriage, says his family will be cheering him on when he appears on the Channel 4 show on Sunday (19.03.23) due to their painful history with illness.
He said in a preview of the show about how his older sister Ellie, 57, fought cancer and about the impact of losing his former mother-in-law and gran to the disease: “I lost a grandmother to cancer, my daughter lost a grandmother to cancer and my sister is a cancer survivor, so it’s important to me.
“I am just grateful I can help in any small way raise more awareness. I am here to have fun. I am here to raise money for a great charity. It’s a great cause and I happen to be a massive fan of the show.
“My friends and family are very excited for me. They are all fans of the show.”
David also warned his culinary skills are unlikely to please show judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, adding: “I do not bake.”
But the actor, who played Ross Geller for a decade on ‘Friends’, said about how he will give it his best due to his professional drive to succeed: “A lot of actors and performers kind of have to be (competitive.) It is like a dog fight.”
David will appears on ‘Celebrity Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer’ alongside swimmer Tom Daley, 28, former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson, 31, comic Rose Matafeo, 31, DJ and cancer survivor Adele Roberts, 44, singer Coleen Nolan, 58, reality star Gemma Collins, 42, and 49-year-old ‘Top Gear’ presenter Paddy McGuinness.
Judge Paul, 57, says on the show about being unable to contain how he’s a fan of ‘Friends’ when he first saw David on the set of the show: “I was like, ‘It’s David Schwimmer, he’s here, he’s here.’
“I was like, ‘Wow.’ I wandered up, pretended I wasn’t that bothered and he was like, ‘Oh hiya guys, how are you doing?’ And I had to let it out.”