Telethon 2025: Top highlights and moments that made this years record-breaker one to remember

We saw laughs, tears, and everything in between across 26 hours of unmissable television.

As WA rallied behind our kids to raise a record-breaking $90 million, here are our 10 favourite moments from Telethon Weekend.

Ben O’Shea gets Fat Cat tattoo live on TV

In the early of hours of Sunday morning, The West Australian senior reporter Ben O’Shea vied to create Telethon history by getting a tattoo inked live on air during his Slumber Party segment.

Unveiling his Fat Cat tatt to the crowd after 45 minutes, O’Shea later said he got a “thumbs up” from the Telethon icon himself in a moment that was kept under wraps for two months.

Home and Away stars get messy

You can’t say Home and Away’s Tristan Gorey and Kyle Shilling didn’t dive head-first into the Telethon experience, tasked with fishing sour snakes out of a tray of whipped cream using only their mouths. the name of fundraising.

With a face-full of cream inevitable, both Shilling and Perth-born Gorey concluded the challenge by smearing cream all over each other’s heads on their way to securing a donation of $8000.

There’s nothing like live music

We couldn’t split former Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Aussie favourite Shannon Noll, who each drew on different heart strings to get the RAC Arena crowd excited.

The Irishman gazed at a sea of phone torches on Saturday night as he sung an emotional rendition of 1999 hit When You Say Nothing At All, while Nollsy had the crowd on their feet as he delivered his iconic What About Me from the stands.

Little Telethon Star Izzy gets her backyard dream

For the youngest Little Telethon Star, five-year-old Izzy Miller and her family were forced to move out of their Australind home while she undergoes treatment for neuroblastoma.

But when shown footage of her new backyard back at home, which featured a cubby house and outdoor kitchen, the unicorn-lover let out a cry of “I love it!”. Priceless.

Celebrity chef vs Celebrity vet

Billed as the “battle of the biceps”, My Kitchen Rules co-host Manu Feildel took on Dr Chris Brown in a battle of TV’s strongest arm.

Dressed in his Freddie Mercury kit from an earlier lip sync battle, the vet was graciously put down by his French opponent and left with his tail between his legs.

Ben Cousins returns to the dance floor

After finding his groove on last year’s Dancing with the Stars, former Eagles champ Ben Cousins braved the ballroom stage once again alongside his partner Siobhan Powers.

Making a habit of exposing his shredded torso in recent times, Cousins sauntered open-shirted around RAC Arena as he twirled Powers in a fun, Latin-inspired moment.

Nat Barr and Shirvo share heart-warming moment with ‘famous’ Hemi

He’s the five-year-old boy with half a heart, but no shortage of love, strength and courage — and he proved it on Saturday night after meeting Sunrise hosts Matt Shirvington and Natalie Barr.

Asked if he knew he was “famous” after featuring on The West Australian’s front page that day, Hemi grinned as he dished out high-fives, flexed his guns, and waved to the viewers at home.

Rob Mills and Little Telethon Star Jordan break out into song

It wasn’t planned, but when a Little Telethon Star asks you to belt out an impromptu Queen duet live on screen, you do it.

Upon being asked to name his favourite band by Rob Mills, nine-year-old Jordan Blair turned the tables on the singer and requested the pair sing Bohemian Rhapsody — and their performance was more than just fantasy!

Lip sync battles steal the show

As has become a Telethon tradition, lip sync battles performed by stars who can’t sing were among the greatest displays of showmanship across the weekend.

There was Larry Emdur’s Sweet Caroline, Natalie Barr’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ alongside Kylie Gillies and Sally Bowrey, Dr Chris Brown as Freddie Mercury, Manu Feildel as Elvis, and many more.

Telethon breaks new ground with record $90m

The moment that really matters is the final donation tally, and once again, WA proved its unparalleled generosity by raising more $90,167,275 for sick and vulnerable children in a record-breaking effort.

Sealed with a cheque from Kerry Stokes worth $5 million, the grand finale was Ronan Keating’s to wrap up as he took the stage once more to performed alongside the Little Telethon Stars, and all those involved in making the weekend as special as it was.