There was sequins, jewels and sparkles aplenty as soap stars Brooke Vincent, Jennifer Metcalfe and Stephanie Wareing brought Las Vegas to Manchester at the annual Hearts & Minds charity ball on Saturday night.
The glitzy bash, held at the Hilton, Beetham Tower, saw famous faces including Waterloo road star Chelsee Healey, model Charlotte Dawson and retired footballer Fabrice Muamba dress up for the evening to support the autism charity.
As well as being treated to a four-course meal, guests were entertained by The Voice semi-finalist Cleo Higgins. The 31-year-old singer, who found fame in the 90s girl group Cleopatra, is currently performing in Thriller.
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Brooke Vincent, who was joined at the ball by her mum and step-father, got into the swing of things with some skittle bomb shots but had to call it a night early on becuase she was up early for a press call the following day.
Brooke, who plays Sophie Webster on Coronation Street, revealed that her character was set to have a new love interest on the show and said she was sorry her close friend Michelle Keegan was leaving the cobbles.
She said: "It will be sad when Michelle leaves, but I’m really happy with the show at the minute and I’ve got some great storylines coming up."
Chelsee Healy showed off her slim shape in a stylish teal two-piece, which was put together by Manchester-based designer Nadine Merabi.
Chelsee told me: "I was sat in Nadine's shop an hour ago and my outfit was still being made."
Charlotte Dawson, the daughter of late comedian Les Dawson, went all out on the Las Vegas theme in a plunging raspberry dress, accesorising with plenty of bling for the evening.
Speaking about working with Kerry Katona on the Marilyn Monroe musical Charlotte said: "She's so great. I love Kerry. She just says what she thinks, she has no filter, just like me. I play her the young Marilyn and she plays the older Marilyn I'm really looking forward to working with her again next year when we go on tour. "
Retired footballer Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest last year and was ressucitated after his heart stopped for more than an hour, also attended the bash with his wife Shauna. Knocking back vodka red bulls Fabrice told me: "I'm feeling great, back to my best and loving life."
Hollyoaks star Jennifer, who attended the bash with her former Geordie Shore star boyfriend Greg Lake, showed off her curves to perfection in a plunging velvet dress by Misguided.
The actress and her co-star Stephanie, who wore a shimmering gold dress designed by Nadine Merabi, swapped acting for hairdressing as they helped one brave guest raise awareness for the charity. Cheryl Broadfoot, whose seven-year-old son Bobby has not spoken for three years due to his autisim condition, encouraged guests to dig deep for Hearts & Minds by having her head shaved - with a little help from the girls.
Jennifer said: "Cheryl's so brave, I think it’s for a great cause and fair play to her for doing it. She’s got lovely hair as well, it’s a shame to cut it off but it’s a great charity to do it for.”
The Hearts and Minds Challenge aims to raise the quality of life for individuals and their families affected by autism, by ensuring the provision of the highest standards in education, care and support.
It is hoped that the event will go to raising the £1 million target to fund a new school in Manchester for autistic children.
Ian McGrath founder of Hearts & Minds was overwhelmed with people’s generosity on the night said:"Everyone has had a great night, and we managed to raise over £30,000 in the auction alone. As we are not state-funded, we rely completely on events like this to raise funds for the charity. Without people’s support like this we wouldn’t be able to survive and help so many families.”
For more information on the charity please visit: http://www.heartsandmindschallenge.org/
You can still donate to Cheryl’s hair-raising fundraising appeal for the charity by logging on to: