Football players from Manchester City FC have helped to raise £200,000 for charity by stepping out onto the catwalk.

Argentinian superstar Carlos Tevez headed the cast of unlikely models, being joined on the runway by Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Spanish player Javier Garrido. The trio had agreed to change their normal sky-blue strip for something much trendier to help the charity event Fashion Kicks.

The event was organised by Manchester City and Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given along with his wife Jane. Given lost his mother to cancer when he was just five years old, an incident which helped shaped his lifelong commitment to supporting research into the disease.

The event saw City players take time off from their pursuit of Champions League glory, not to mention an impending tussle with arch-rivals United, to strut their stuff at the Lancashire County Cricket Club, with the fashion show being funded by Selfridges.

Jane Given told reporters that this was the first time the Fashion Kicks show had taken place in Manchester over the six years it has been running. Mrs Given also said that the fourth instalment of the catwalk charity collection had been years in the planning, recalling countless hours of sweat and tears, but that it had all been worth it.

The would-be models wore a selection of wardrobe items from the Selfridges summer collection, which has just hit the high street shops. Attendees were then treated to a concert by Westlife, a Brian Turner cooked dinner and then an auction for charity.

Craig Bellamy was the night’s big spender, forking out £18,000 for a Harley Davidson. All proceeds go to the Macmillan Cancer Support along with local cancer charities.

Tags: cancer charity, football, Manchester City, runway, Selfridges, summer collection