Terminally-ill single mum, 23, becomes bride for a day after handsome stranger helps grant her dying wish of having a fairytale wedding Dressed in a fairytale white dress and clutching a bouquet, Kayleigh Duff looks every inch the beautiful bride. But the beaming smile in the happy wedding day pictures hides a sad story. At just 23, Kayleigh is terminally ill with liver cancer – and the ‘marriage’, with a model groom, was arranged by her friends after she listed it as one of the things she wanted to do before she died. Fairytale wedding: Kayleigh Duff, 23, who has liver cancer, has fulfilled her dying wish of getting married 'A dream come true': Kayleigh enjoyed a perfect wedding day with with male model Danny Whisker Kayleigh was devastated when doctors told her last February that a hereditary gene defect had developed into cancer. The same rare condition killed her father Lee at the age of 37 in 1998. Kayleigh started chemotherapy in March and drew up a list of things she would have wanted to do in her life – including getting married. It was her best friend Katie Birch who decided the absence of a current partner in her life need not stand in the way of her dream. Kayleigh was pampered by hair and make-up artists before being whisked to Whitstable Castle in Kent in a vintage Jaguar. Guests included her mother Beverley Cox, 46, grandparents Sharon, 70, and Ian Day, 71, and Kayleigh’s two-year-old son Kai. And waiting for her was handsome model Danny Wisker, booked for the day to play the role of groom. The big day: Bride Kayleigh (centre) is pictured with son Kai (far left), mother Bey Cox (right) and grandparents Ian (left) and Sharon Day (far right) Kayleigh looked absolutely stunning when she was married at the elegant Whitstable Castle Guests drank champagne while the ‘bride’ posed for pictures. Kayleigh, from Herne Bay, Kent, said: ‘The groom was so nice and was really handsome. ‘It was a bit awkward at first because obviously it’s a bizarre situation – I couldn’t stop laughing. I didn’t expect any of it, it was mad. 'It really was a dream come true. It was great. The dress was beautiful – it really was. The castle and everything were just beautiful.’ Close bond: Kayleigh, pictured with mother Bey, lost her father Terry to the same cancer she suffers with Mrs Cox said: ‘It’s been quite overwhelming. It was like it was really happening for her and although it’s not going to be for real, to us it was real and we have got lovely pictures and memories.’ Kayleigh suffers from a hereditary genetic disorder called familial adenomatous polyposis which causes growths on the large intestine – raising the risk of developing cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer last June and doctors operated on her to remove the growths. A touching moment: Kayleigh and two-year-old son Kai are pictured enjoying a loving kiss Kayleigh has given up her job a a kitchen assistant to spend as much time as possible with her young son before she dies But in February, follow-up tests found the illness had spread and medics told her she will never be fully rid of it. They hope to prolong her life with regular chemotherapy. Kayleigh, who has been forced to quit her job as a kitchen assistant, now wants to devote as much time as possible to her son. She said: ‘I take every day as it comes, but most of the time I’m all right.’ (s)
