The Faces of Cholangiocarcinoma 2025

AMMF was delighted to work with the celebrity photographer, Rankin, and eight people who have been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, to produce a stunning portfolio of images, “The Faces of Cholangiocarcinoma” which we are pleased to share during February 2025, Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month, as part of AMMF’s Rethink Liver Cancer campaign.  

In these images Rankin has captured each person’s vibrancy, which illustrates that timely access to the right specialists and treatment enables people to live life to the full after a cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis, underlining the importance of a Fairer Deal, Faster for all.

For the inspirational behind-the-scenes video of Rankin’s
Faces of Cholangiocarcinoma photoshoot CLICK HERE.
Dame Zandra Rhodes

Dame Zandra Rhodes said: “I was horrified to find out that more than half of those who receive a cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis are not given any treatment. I hope we are going to achieve more consciousness, so we can talk about problems and be able to work out how to solve them in whatever way we can. Sharing experiences with all these people who were faced with death and have been fighting it in different ways is very exciting.”

To view Dame Zandra being interviewed on: 



Katie Nicholl

Katie Nicholl, a New York Times best-selling author who reports on the Royal Family for the BBC and ‘Vanity Fair’ was diagnosed in 2023, aged 46. Her diagnosis was an incidental finding after she went to her GP with symptoms that she put down to a busy work year covering the late Queen’s death and funeral and possibly the perimenopause. Following emergency surgery in 2023, Katie is now cancer-free.

To view Katie being interviewed on “ITV’s Lorraine” click here


Charlie Shrager

Charlie Shrager, from Kent, was diagnosed in 2022, aged 48, after experiencing symptoms for several months that she – and her GP – didn’t realise were signs of the disease. A former model, Charlie walked the catwalk in Zandra Rhodes designs in the 1990s. In hospital in 2022, she was told by her medical team that cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer that affects men over 65 but has since befriended women from across the world who, like her, received their diagnosis in their 40s.

To view Charlie being interviewed on “BBC News” click here


Judith Neptial

Judith Neptial, from Essex, was 46 when she was diagnosed in 2018 after complaining to her GP about symptoms for three years. She was told that she wouldn’t live beyond a year but with AMMF’s help found a specialist who was experienced in her condition and enrolled her on a clinical trial for an immunotherapy treatment. In 2024, Judith and her daughter, Ashleigh, launched a support organisation for black and ethnic minority people living with cancer in the UK – ‘From Me To You: The Art of Survival’.

To view Judith being interviewed on “ITV News” click here


Benjamin Carey

Benjamin Carey was 53 when he was diagnosed in 2023, six months after being misdiagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, Benjamin is travelling the world again as a sustainable tourism consultant. He lives with his wife and children in Edinburgh and is helping AMMF to raise awareness in the Scottish Parliament of NHS patient inequalities. For example, in England the NHS funds the molecular profile tests needed to help define how cholangiocarcinoma should be managed and who can benefit from targeted drug therapies for 12 abnormalities. In Scotland, testing for only one abnormality is available and NHS patients have to pay privately for additional tests.


Ilona Smith

Ilona Smith, from south London, was 39 when she was diagnosed in 2020. Looking back, she had experienced symptoms for a couple of years beforehand – pain in her back and around her liver that came and went. She hadn’t thought this was a sign of anything serious so hadn’t raised it with her GP. Having undergone surgery and chemotherapy, her quality of life has significantly improved since she has had access to drug treatment that wasn’t available to her as an NHS patient and can now continue to work in her role as a programme manager for an LGBTQ+ charity.

To view Ilona being interviewed on “ITV News” click here


Andrea Sheardown

Andrea Sheardown, was 44 when she was diagnosed in 2015 and was given 6-8 weeks to live by her local hospital in Cheshire. She discharged herself from their care, started researching who she could go to for a second opinion and eventually secured life-saving treatment at another hospital. Later this month, Andrea and her fundraising ‘AMMF Army’ of supporters will be cycling coast to coast across India, from the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea, to raise funds for AMMF.


Andy Clay

Andy Clay, was 53 when he was diagnosed in 2018, after initially being told his symptoms were likely to be IBS. A year later, he was given 2-4 months to live and told to check into a hospice. After not taking this advice, pushing for chemotherapy at his local hospital in Devon and then enrolling on a drug trial through a specialist in London, Andy has recently marked five years since that awful prognosis.


Helen Morement, AMMF’s CEO, commented that despite the challenges encountered by the ‘Faces of Cholangiocarcinoma’, their resilience since diagnosis is inspiring. She further added:

“Together, this impressive group shows how access to the right specialists and treatment enables people to live life to the full after a cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis and to go on to do amazing things at work, with family and for their community. We are incredibly grateful to Rankin and to these extraordinary people who have captured the vibrancy and possibility of everyone’s lives for our Rethink Liver Cancer campaign.”


For more information about AMMF’s Rethink Liver Campaign click here.

For more information about AMMF’s Westminster Reception click here.

Photo credit: Rankin

February 2025