Getty Images
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio Prove They’re One Hell of a Team, Help Save Cancer Patient’s Life
We all know Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as Titanic‘s Jack and Rose, but these days, they’ve earned a new title: superheroes. The BFFs teamed up to help save the life of a cancer patient, whose story the actress stumbled over online.
In a phone call on the daytime TV show This Morning, Kate revealed how she got involved with raising money for 28-year-old Gemma Nuttall’s cancer treatments. The Oscar winner discovered the young woman’s GoFundMe page — which Gemma had set up to help pay for immunotherapy sessions at a “wonder clinic” in Germany — while researching facilities for her own mother, Sally, who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer (she sadly passed away in May 2017).
Gemma Nuttall
“I just thought ‘I can’t have this happen,'” Kate explained after hearing that Gemma might not be able to afford the life-saving treatment (it can cost up to $98K a session). “My own mother was very, very unwell, and I just thought my mum would be incredibly proud if I could do this for somebody else, for another young mum.”
Gemma was initially diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer while she was pregnant, and refused certain medicine that would have killed her unborn baby. Following the birth of her daughter, who’s now three, she defeated the illness with radiation and chemotherapy, only to discover a year later that she had developed multiple brain tumors.
Kate turned to Leonardo after helping raise close to $280K. “I phoned Leo and I said, ‘Do you think we could do a charity dinner or something?’ And he said, ‘Let’s go one better. Come with me to St. Tropez, to my big fundraiser for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,’ which is back in July, ‘and we will auction off a dinner with Jack and Rose,'” she revealed.
Leo and Kate at his annual fundraiser.
Needless to say, the auction was wildly successful (three dinners raised $1.35 million), and the money was split equally between the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Gemma’s cause (the extra funds will be used to help other patients like Gemma).
“So, so much good has come out of this remarkable moment. I mean look at Gemma. Look at her. She is so beautiful. She is alive. She is cancer-free. It is utterly incredible,” Kate shared. “I feel so blessed that I could help.” Added Gemma, “I just want to say thank you so much for all your hard work and for me being able to have my treatment that I really did need. You saved my life and I just want you to know that.”
