Footballers bare all for cancer charity

Members of the team, including David James, Rio Ferdinand, and Theo Walcott, posed for images which show anatomical representations of the bowel to raise cash for a fund set up in the name of World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, who died of the disease aged 51.

The ‘There is Moore to Know’ campaign was launched during bowel cancer awareness month and highlights the fact that the disease is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK, killing 44 people each day.

England and Portmouth goalkeeper David James said: ‘Lives can be saved if more people know about bowel cancer and can recognise the symptoms of the disease.’

And Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand also added his support: ‘My England team-mates and I were shocked to find out that bowel cancer kills 44 people every day in the UK, especially when over eight out of ten cases can be treated successfully if detected early enough.’

Ferdinand’s England teammate, Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, continued: ‘Bobby was one of the greatest footballers of all time; to die at 51 is too young. It is important to us that we make more people aware of the disease.’

To support the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, the players’ Team England charity has also produced a series of interviews with the team.

Moore’s widow Stephanie, the fund’s founder, said: ‘The support of the current England squad means so much to me and to the Bobby Moore Fund as a whole.’

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