Davina McCall, menopause campaigner and TV presenter, hosted a diamond dinner to celebrate Wellbeing of Women, a charity that has been saving and changing the lives of women, girls and babies through groundbreaking research for 60 years.

She was joined by celebrities including Olympic medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, journalist Mariella Frostrup and Wellbeing of Women ambassador and TV doctor Dr Nighat Arif.

They spoke about the ongoing need to raise vital funds for women’s health research which remains starkly underfunded, with only 2.1% of public and charity funded research spent on reproductive health and childbirth. The evening featured an auction and a live music performance by Elesha Paul-Moses, well-known for her performance as Tina Turner on the West End Stage.

Davina McCall, who hosted the evening, said: “I am thrilled to be here for a landmark event for a charity very close to my heart. I became an ambassador for Wellbeing of Women because they campaign and fund research on issues that I am passionate about. Tonight, we heard about the huge impact that the charity has had on women’s health over the last 60 years, by investing in the brightest and best minds to find the next diagnoses and treatments and to improve outcomes for women.  However, despite this progress, there is still more to do to make sure that all women get the healthcare that they need.”

Professor Dame Lesley Regan said: “Wellbeing of Women has pioneered life changing advances in women’s health that we all use and benefit from either directly or indirectly on a daily basis. However, women’s health remains critically underfunded, and we must continue to raise money for vital research to ensure that women receive the investigations and treatment they need quickly and effectively. We live in an era where erectile dysfunction – which affects 19% of men – is given 5 times more research funding resource than Pre Menstrual Syndrome, which affects the vast majority of women, the need for funding has never been so pressing. We need to remember that when we get things right for women, everyone in our society benefits.”

Since 1964, wellbeing of Women has invested more than £75 million in research to transform women’s health and wellbeing. From the ultrasounds and the cervical screening brushes we all use today, to anti-inflammatory drugs for period pain treatment, the vital developments that Wellbeing of Women has commissioned through its research has changed the lives of women, girls and babies across the globe.

The UK has the widest gender health gap in the G20 where women have poorer access to health care, are often dismissed when seeking help, receive delayed diagnoses and less effective treatments than men and their pain isn’t taken as seriously.

Women deserve better, which is why Wellbeing of Women is doing all it can to improve women’s health throughout the life course, from birth to menopause and beyond. Our research is pioneering major advances in care, our information is giving women and girls the knowledge they need, and our campaigns are driving change where it is desperately needed.