Julie Cowell proves she has the 'X Factor' with honour from charity, Against Breast Cancer

Patricia Leathem, CEO of Against Breast Cancer, said: "This post represents Julie Cowell's ongoing commitment to our cause and marks a new era for us in our drive for awareness of the charity and funding to support our ongoing research. Today is a wonderful way to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the many people who have been involved with the charity over the years."

Patricia Leathem, CEO, announces Julie as our new Presiden

Dr Anthony Leathem M.D. and his wife Patricia Leathem founded Against Breast Cancer some 15 years ago with funds from a single collection tin. The charity has grown exponentially in that time and is now leading the way in new fields of breast cancer research.

Dr Anthony Leathem heads up the Clinical Research team at University College Hospital (UCL), London. Here they are conducting an ongoing Diet and Lifestyle Study of women with breast cancer to identify vital information that will indicate dietary and lifestyle practices linked to the improvement of breast cancer survival, and lead to a vaccine against the disease. This year saw the induction of the 2000th patient and the 50th UK hospital onto the study.

Dr Anthony Leathem said: "We are studying several strands of research relating to breast cancer and recently we have made the exciting discovery of a cancer marker known as 'Tn'. It is a simple sugar found in the blood and urine of a patient who has cancer somewhere in their body, including forms of breast cancer. Women who do not have Tn may carry natural antibodies that fight cancer and this is something we want to gain a deeper understanding of. It's a key milestone towards us developing a vaccine that would stimulate immunity against breast cancer and possibly other cancers too".

Breast cancer is now the most common form of cancer in the UK, with 1 in 9 women developing the disease. These rates have increased by more than 50% in the last 20 years. More than 44,000 women are diagnosed and 13,000 die annually of the disease. It is the single, most common cause of death among women aged 35-54.

Special guests at the Splash of Pink event included sports and entertainment personalities: Patron Simon Cowell and his mother Julie Cowell, actress Lucy Rusedski and tennis ace Greg Rusedski, GMTV Presenter and Patron Ben Shephard, Entrepreneur and 'Dragon's Den' star, Duncan Bannatyne, and his wife Joanne, Award winning Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray and his partner Rachel, celebrity chef Ross Burden, Singer Isla St Clair and her partner Patrick King and TV Presenter Liz Bonnin.

The Splash of Pink event was a great success for the charity.