Diabetes Awareness Week runs from 14 – 20 June and with this in mind we have chosen Nina Wadia as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the week.

Nina is an actor well-known for her roles in EastEnders, Still Open All Hours and Goodness Gracious Me.  She is also an Ambassador for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and has supported them since her son, Aidan, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2017 at the age of 10.

In 2019 Nina published a book on her family’s experiences of diabetes and the research undertaken to better understand the condition, with the idea of supporting children with type 1 diabetes, Bionic T1D.

The book empowers children who are facing the challenges of managing type 1 and helps them get to grips with type 1 technology such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors.

As well as supporting the type 1 community, Nina has given invaluable support to JDRF. She generously donated her winnings from Celebrity Catchphrase and Celebrity Tipping Point to JDRF, and in 2019 presented a BBC fundraising appeal on their behalf. She has also given her time by hosting an online event to celebrate the ground-breaking launch of the artificial pancreas.

In January 2021 she was award the OBE for her services to entertainment and charity.

To find out more about Diabetes Awareness Week see here https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/diabetes-week

To find out more about Nina see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Wadia