Casualty star invites Scots Huntington’s Disease warrior to be extra on hit show

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Casualty star George Rainsford was so inspired by Scots Huntington’s warrior Gillian McNab he asked her to be an extra on the hit show.The actor, whose character Dr Ethan Hardy has incurable Huntington’s Disease (HD), struck up a friendship with the palliative care nurse last year after meeting her through a charity campaign.George, 39, was so amazed by Gillian’s incredible outlook on life he invited her to come down to the set in Cardiff and play a nurse on the popular BBC drama.Appearing on the show was a bucket list dream come true for the mum-of-three, who 11 years ago was found to have the gene for the hereditary condition, which robs sufferers of the ability to walk, talk and swallow.George was delighted to help Gillian tick her Casualty dream off her list, which has seen her conquer every rollercoaster in the UK, brave fire and wing walks, skydive from 10,000 feet and raise more than £20,000 for the Scottish Huntington’s Association.The dad-of-two, who is also backing Gillian’s Dance 100 challenge which takes place next month, said: “Before my character was diagnosed with having the HD gene I had never heard of the condition.

I started researching and discovered how devastating it was for families as there is a 50 per cent chance of the disease being passed from parents to children.“I wanted to do all I could to raise awareness of HD which is like having Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease all rolled into one.“Last year I became the patron of The Huntington’s Association England & Wales and it was through them I met the wonderful Gillian - she blew me away.”Call The Midwife star George, who raised more than £6000 for Huntington’s charities by completing a three-day ultra marathon, added: “I was on a