TV presenter Darren Kennedy took a seat on the BBC’s iconic black chair over the weekend as part of Celebrity Mastermind. Darren appeared on the show to help raise money for the charity of his choice – BeLonG To.
The episode saw Kennedy pitted against Pussycat Doll, Kimberly Wyatt, Normal People actor Aoife Hinds and DJ and presenter Normski, all looking to bring home some much-needed funds for their very worthy charities. Speaking about his experience, Darren said “sitting in the iconic black chair was nerve-wracking as hell.”
Celebrity mastermind, let’s do this! @BBCOne #bts #celebritymastermind pic.twitter.com/hwLuWQ8NQL
— Darren Kennedy (@Darrenken) November 8, 2020
Regular viewers of the show will know all-too-well that the participants need to choose a specialty subject. Darren’s subject was ‘The History and Culture of the Geisha.’ While this subject may seem a tricky one, Darren had this to say about his choice: “Very random, but I wrote my final year dissertation on the subject in college so I thought ‘why not?'”
Darren continued, “That was 15 years ago and I’d forgotten how dense and complex it is as a subject, so hoping I didn’t shoot myself in the foot!”
Darren’s charity in question was BeLonG To – the national organisation that supports LGBTQ+ youth. He shared, “Win, lose or draw, a nice healthy donation will go to helping young LBGTQ people in Ireland.” A prominent activist for the queer community, Kennedy also took part in the #CALLITOUT campaign to tackle homophobia.
While Darren performed admirably, the night was eventually won by Aoife Hinds, with her specialist subject, ‘Amy Winehouse’.
A national survey conducted by BeLonG To found that 93% of LGBTQ+ youth are struggling during COVID-19 with depression, anxiety, and stress. The money raised by Kennedy in partaking in Mastermind would be welcome support for the organisation with Darren saying “many have really suffered during lockdown where many report not being fully accepted in their home environments due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
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