The mum in question is TV personality Gloria Hunniford whose daughter Caron Keating was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 when she was in her mid 30's.

While Gloria's showbusiness life is one of glitz and glamour, all of that became irrelevant when it came to the day that she had to watch her beautiful daughter die from cancer.

After diagnosis, Caron had valiantly spent seven years fighting and managing the disease through a range of orthodox and complimentary cancer treatments.

Sadly, she lost her tenacious battle with cancer in 2004.

"I am honoured to be patron of the Race for Life," Gloria told The Times in a special interview this week.

"While our own charity, the Caron Keating Foundation, doesn't do research, I am delighted to be part of Cancer Research UK's Race for Life.

"It's such a marvellous and emotional mix of people running in commemoration of loved ones they have lost through this dreadful disease and also people who are running in celebration of the fact that they are in the process of beating cancer," Gloria told the Times.

"There is a feeling from people who have lost loves ones to cancer that they want to do some payback for the fantastic treatment they have received or to help fund research so that more people don't have to suffer."

Cancer Research UK's Race for Life 2008 will be held at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster on Sunday 8 June.

"There's still lots of time to sign up for the Coleraine race," said Gloria.

"The wonderful thing about Race for Life is that you can crawl, walk, run, push the baby in the pram or walk the dog while taking part.

"I for one would be useless at doing a marathon but everyone can manage the Race for Life in some shape of form.

"It's a very emotional thing to see all those women running with the pictures and names of loved ones on their backs.