TV's Holden hails 'hero' baby donor

Amanda Holden

Amanda Holden has hailed Britain's youngest organ donor a "little hero" as thousands more people have reportedly signed up to the transplant register.

The Britain's Got Talent judge said Teddy Houlston's parents, Jess Evans and Mike Houlston, were "inspiring", having allowed for their son's kidneys and heart valves to be donated.

Teddy died at only 100 minutes old because of a rare fatal condition that stopped his skull and brain from developing in the womb.

Holden, 44, told the Daily Mirror: "He is a little hero. What his family have achieved has made a real difference and will encourage lots more to sign the organ donor register. Meeting them was incredibly inspiring."

The paper said 20,000 people visited the NHS donor register website and 7,000 had signed up since the news broke.

Miss Evans, 28, said she hoped their decision to go public would convince other parents to consider doing the same.

"Telling Teddy's story is something Mike and I have wanted to do since he came into our lives as he's our hero. We knew this week would have highs and lows as we celebrated his brother Noah's first birthday and marked the first anniversary of his death," she told the Mirror.

"We always hoped Teddy's legacy would go far beyond donating his own kidneys and heart valves - that he'd open doors for other parents to donate in future and encourage everyone to become donors."

The Cardiff couple previously spoke of their pride knowing their son had helped save the life of a man in Leeds who was suffering with renal failure.