Colin Farrell and Emma Fogarty warmed hearts with their enduring friendship on Friday night's Late Late Show as they sought to raise funds for people living with the genetic condition Epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
Fogarty is Ireland's longest-surviving person battling the most severe type of the agonising skin condition which is also known as Butterfly Skin.
People with EB are in constant pain, with open wounds similar to third-degree burns on most of their bodies. The wounds must be dressed for a number of hours each day, or every second day.
With Farrell set to run the Dublin Marathon at the end of October to mark Fogarty's miracle 40th birthday and to support the charity Debra, the duo joined host Patrick Kielty to chat about how the fundraising appeal came about.
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"It was your idea," Fogarty stated. "He forgot about it and I happily reminded him of it."
"I said it in passing!", Farrell joked. "About two years ago. A year later, the text came through. I thought f***."
Farrell will run the marathon and will push Fogarty in a wheelchair for the final four kilometres, with each kilometre representing a decade of the life she has lived and survived with EB.
Fogarty and Farrell have been friends since 2010 when the actor contacted her after she won a People of the Year award.
The Castleknock native and Hollywood star said of his friend of 14 years: "She is wickedly funny and one of the most extraordinary human beings I've ever met.
"Her spirit and her sense of humour and her kindness, and her joy for life is astonishing, in spite of what she's lived with."
The actor, who is currently starring in the HBO series The Penguin, said that it is urgent they raise money for Debra.
"There's no funding, it's inhumane on the part of the government," Farrell said. "There are only 300 people in Ireland who live with the cruelty of this condition, Emma is one in seven people who lives with the most severe version of it.
"Debra have been asking for three years for €695,000 for 300 people. The goal is, ideally we'll raise €400,000 so we can offer a little bit of service and a little bit of support, so we can have nurses and people who are trained to take care of people."
Fogarty spoke about the difficulty of living with the condition.
"It's hard, and that's an understatement. There's no words for how to live with it day-to-day," she said.
"Today I had a full bandage change, four hours, the pain is excruciating. The pain is constant. Sitting here now, I'm in agony."
Fogarty, from Abbeyleix in Co Laois, continued: "My parents were 25 and 27 [when I was born] and the doctors told them that I wouldn't survive a week and that it'd be better if I didn't.
"Doctors are great, but they're not always right and I think I've proved them wrong now."
"You're mad, you're baffling to me!", Farrell said in awe.
She also revealed that taking part in the marathon will take its toll on her physically.
"I'm going to sleep through November, literally," she said.
Fogarty added that her bond with Farrell is spurring her on.
"We're really close, we get along really well, we have a laugh," she said. "We enjoy each other's company.
"Apart from my family, I trust no one more than you to push me that 4 kilometres."
If you would like to find out more or to donate to Debra, please see: Debra.ie
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