Watch moment Mansfield teen battling cancer meets his idol Ant Middleton

Jacob Fradgley, 17, recently received the devastating news that the rare cancer he successfully fought – Metastatic Ewing Sarcoma – had returned.

Young Jacob, who wants to become a tank driver in the army and is also a member of the cadets, has battled the cancer since mid-2018 and thought it was beaten; until he was told weeks ago that it has relapsed.

His family have set up a crowdfunding page to raise £5,000 for Jacob to “make amazing memories”, after being told by doctors that if he wants to do anything special, to “get it done now”.

And one of the big things Jacob says he wants to do is meet his idol Ant Middleton, of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins and author of bestselling books – something which, thanks to the Chad, was made possible.

After expressing a desire to meet the TV star, the Chad contacted his team with Jacob’s story and Ant responded immediately, saying he was “compelled” to meet him and “bring some fighting spirit” to Jacob over Christmas.

And Ant did just that, travelling hours on a Saturday morning to meet Jacob, his mum Sammy and sister Leah Keighley, at their Skegby home.

Speaking following the visit, brave Jacob said he “can’t put into words” how thankful he is for Ant coming to visit him.

He said: “I was surprised and shocked that he was coming to meet me, and a bit nervous at the thought as he’s a celebrity, someone I look up to.

“But he is one of the celebrities where you don't have to be posh, he’s really down to earth and easy to talk to.

“We’ve been listening to his audio books on the way to and from treatment and it’s already been giving me inspiration to take positives out of any situation, so moving forward I’ll continue to take this with me.

“The treatment is going alright, it’s knocked me a lot physically but I’m going to keep going with a positive mindset.

“Meeting Ant was such a nice feeling, it’s made one of my dreams come true.

“I can’t put into words what the gesture means and how thankful I am. I hope he stays in touch.”

Following the visit, the SAS champion described Jacob’s attitude throughout the cancer fight as “inspiring”.

He added: “When I was told about Jacob’s story, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to meet him.

“This is a young man who has been through so much and is doing everything in his power to get better.

“I was completely compelled to help and bring a little bit of fighting spirit and positivity to his day. I met him and his family and we spent a few hours together.

“Jacob is a young driven man with an amazing positive attitude that will only make you smile.

“They were all in such good spirits and Jacob has reminded me to always strive to be the best person I can, both for myself and for my family.”