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Amanda Holden and Lenny Henry to celebrate NHS workers in new show

Amanda Holden, Sir Lenny Henry and Beverley Knight are among the stars who will celebrate NHS workers in a new show.

A special one-off programme, ‘Dear NHS Superstars’, will see a host of famous faces, also including Shirley Ballas, Rosie Jones, and AJ and Curtis Pritchard, pay tribute to UK healthcare professionals.

Former doctor-turned-comedian Adam Kay will front the show, and he has donated his fee for the programme to The Lullaby Trust, which supports families bereaved of babies and young children.

He said: "I’m thrilled to be (the least famous) part of ‘Dear NHS Superstars’.

"It’s a joyous celebration of our greatest achievement as a nation, a huge and heartfelt thank you to the 1.5 million people we all owe our lives to, and a harrowing demonstration of what closing hairdressers for three months does to the hair of celebrities."

The stars will share stories of their personal interactions with NHS workers over the years and praise porters, surgeons, midwives, and others, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kate Phillips, of Controller Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC, added: "I am delighted to bring this show to the viewers and hear these amazing stories."

Several stars have praised NHS workers throughout the pandemic, including Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has been in hospital since March after being struck down with the disease.

In late April, the ‘Good Morning Britain’ presenter thanked the "brave" NHS staff for doing everything they can for Derek.

She wrote on Instagram: "So grateful too for our amazing #nhs doing so much for Derek everyday – wonderful to see all the support for them & our key workers every Thursday. We can’t thank them enough can we ? So brave. (sic)"

While Derek is now free of coronavirus, he remains in intensive care.

The transmission date for ‘Dear NHS Superstars’ will be announced in due course.