FIFTEEN-year-old Lee Hill from Tuffley near Gloucester recently had his dearest wish to meet Jeremy Kyle granted by Starlight Children’s Foundation, the UK’s leading wish granting charity for children with serious and terminal illnesses.

Lee was born prematurely and, shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy. He also has a visual impairment and epilepsy. As a result of his condition, Lee has to take a lot of medication and, because of his limited mobility, he uses a wheelchair. Recently, Lee has also had to undergo surgery on his hips and knees. Although Lee has to spend lots of time in hospital, he never complains and always puts on a brave face.

The Jeremy Kyle Show on ITV is Lee’s favourite television programme and he makes sure he never misses it! He always records the show and he particularly likes the episodes that involve the lie detector, which sees guests take a test to prove their honesty in a real life situation.

For Lee, the highlight of the show is Jeremy Kyle himself and he has always dreamed of meeting the presenter, who he likes because he is a great judge of character. Lee particularly enjoys watching Jeremy get cross with guests on the show when they have behaved badly!

Lee’s mum Lorraine heard about Starlight and she decided to put Lee forward for a wish. She knew he deserved a very special treat and the charity offered to grant Lee’s dearest wish! There was only one thing that this determined young man wished to do … and that was to meet his hero, Jeremy Kyle, of course!

To grant Lee’s special wish, Starlight contacted Jeremy and his team, who said they would be absolutely delighted to help make his dream come true! Jeremy kindly invited Lee and his family to come to the Jeremy Kyle Show studios in Manchester at the end of April and Lee was over the moon to hear that his wish was going to be granted … When Lee and his parents, Lorraine and Paul, arrived at the studios they were made to feel completely at home and Jeremy and his team had really gone the extra mile to make sure that the family had an unforgettable visit!

Lee was so excited when he got to meet Jeremy and he had lots of questions for his favourite television presenter! Jeremy was really friendly to Lee and his family and he spent lots of time getting to know them. So that Lee had lots of lovely things to remember the visit by, Jeremy gave him a special Jeremy Kyle Show t-shirt and autographs and they also had lots of photos taken together. Jeremy also gave Lee the ITV cushion from his dressing room, which Lee loved!

During the visit, Lee was also able to see the set and have a full backstage tour. Jeremy introduced Lee to Graham, the show’s psychologist, and Steve, the security guard who keeps all the show’s guests in line! Jeremy even phoned Will, who does the lie detector tests on the programme, so that Lee could have a chat with him!

Jeremy and his team could not have been more welcoming and they made Lee feel extremely special. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Lee and the memories of it will be treasured by him and his family for a long time to come.

To refer a child for a wish or to make a donation, please go online at www.starlight.org.uk.

For every £1 you donate, 93p goes towards helping Starlight’s very ill children.