Sam Wallace presents 100,000 cheque to the charity close to his heart. Video / The Hits
The winner of Celebrity Treasure Island Sam Wallace presented the cheque to his chosen charity, the Starship Foundation, at Starship Children's Hospital today.
The giant cheque for $105,000 was presented to the Starship Foundation with Wallace's personal connection to the charity in attendance - his nephew Beau Bolton.
His six-year-old nephew has had two heart surgeries at the hospital, and his parents Amy Bolton, Wallace's sister, 41 and Jimmy Bolton, 43 were at the ceremony with their son to see Sam hand the cheque to Starship.
Wallace said it was phenomenal to be able to present the cheque to a cause so close to his heart, and it was a bittersweet moment for his family.
Sam Wallace with his brother-in-law Jimmy Bolton (left) and Beau Bolton.
"To be able to make a contribution like this is a wonderful thing," he said.
"It [Starship] is a place that is so true to my heart and my family's heart as well."
Pointing to his nephew Beau, Wallace said "he's the wee man that brought this whole connection together...it's [Starship] is the place that saved Beau's life but it's also the place that brought us so much pain as a family."
The Hits Radio host, who was known for his fiercely competitive nature on the reality show joked "he hasn't won something since form 4 social studies."
"I did take a bit of beating for the first few weeks of the show on the internet, but that's fine, because my mind was very clear," he said.
"I had a pretty steely determination to try and bring some money for this charity and all the kids in this place."
Sam Wallace and his nephew Beau Bolton. Photo / NZME
He also took a brief pause to apologise to his fellow Celebrity Island contestants Jodie River , Barbara Kendall, Shannon Ryan, and Matty McLean for his "terrible behaviour" on the show.
"This is something I really wanted to get," Wallace said.
"We're immensely proud," Beau's mother Amy Bolton said of her brother's donation to the Starship Foundation.
"This is Sam's journey, and he won an incredible amount of money for an incredible charity that is close to our hearts, in more ways than one.
"It's great to be here with him in a place that hasn't always been about celebration for us," she said.
The Boltons found out Beau had a heart condition when he was just three weeks old that required immediate surgery. Complications with the surgery meant Beau was put on bypass for longer than doctors had hoped, and the Boltons were told Beau may not walk or talk.
