Kate Winslet, Leonardo di Caprio help save woman with terminal cancer

Actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio have come forward to save the life of a British woman who was told she would die by delaying cancer treatment.

Gemma Nuttall, from Lancashire, was newly pregnant when doctors diagnosed her with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer.

Gemma decided to not accept the drugs that could potentially save her life as it would have terminated her pregnancy.

Gemma eventually gave birth to her baby daughter Penelope at 26 weeks, after doctors informed her cancer had spread to her cervix and it was too late to save her own life.

The 29-year-old new mum was given only six to nine months to live and placed on palliative care.

However, rather than accepting the verdict at face value, Nuttall and her mother researched their options - and after hearing of a “wonder clinic” in Germany where Gemma could undergo immunotherapy treatment, the pair started a fundraiser to raise the £300,000 needed for treatment.

In a surprising twist of fortune, the cost of Nuttall's treatment was covered by Kate Winslet and Leo Di Caprio, after Kate heard about the fundraiser.

The two stars auctioned off dates with their Titanic sweethearts, Jack and Rose.

After finishing her final round of treatment five months ago, Gemma has officially been declared cancer-free - and she credits Kate with saving her life.

Speaking to Daily Mirror, Nutall said that she can’t thank Kate enough. She went on to add, “Without her donations, and the public's, my story would be very different. We thought it was a wind-up, but then she called and I realised she was serious.”

For her part in saving a life, Kate Winslet received an Actors Inspiration Award from the Screen Actors Guild and told an awards' ceremony: “The greatest privilege has been learning how to use my voice to help others.”