Rebecca's Secret

Rebecca's Secret was first shown on ITV on 18th September 1996

"I first met Rebecca Handel, with her daughter Bonnie, then 12 years old, when she came to our home in Hampstead to be interviewed by my wife Esther. Tragically, Bonnie turned out to have only a week or two left to live. But the courage shown by her determination to join in the interview with her mother, in spite of her obvious failing condition, has since seared into the hearts and minds of millions of television viewers.

Esther had already arranged - in secret - a 'Hearts of Gold' ceremony for Bonnie and, without revealing identities, had also talked on 'That's Life!' of the prejudice and ignorance which forced the whole Handel family to live a secret life.
Shortly after, Bonnie died. Rebecca, having already helped set up the Children With AIDS Charity, said to Esther, "I want Desmond to make one of his documentaries about the life we have had to live, so that the world can understand what pain and damage is caused by prejudice."

And so 'Rebecca's Secret' became the first documentary in 'The Visit' series to be broadcast on ITV in prime time at 9p.m. Nine million viewers saw it.

It could not have been made without Rebecca wanting it so. She died long before it was finished and by then David, her ex-husband in Canada was seriously ill - clearly with only a little time left himself.

So, the programme became not just 'Rebecca's Secret' but 'Joshua's Journey' as we followed Rebecca's son, then fifteen, to visit his father in Canada, to learn from the specialist how an accidental infection had happened during an inter-uterine blood transfusion to save Bonnie's life when she was in the womb.

We saw, in many ways, a miracle of achievement and maturity as he learned to face prejudice, to stand and speak out about AIDS and what it does, not only to those HIV infected but also to their families. At the end of our film he made a speech at a CWAC concert he had organised at his school in St. Albans.

"My sister died of AIDS, my mother died of AIDS and my father has AIDS. We are here to raise money to fight for a world in which other families will not have to live in fear and secrecy as we did."

I was in tears, so were his aunt Claudia and uncle Terry, who have now taken him into their home, and his grandparents Helena and Emanuel Best. Then, shortly after the broadcast last year, David died. 'Rebecca's Secret' is in the running for a number of awards. But the real reward and privilege for me was being able to make it and to see it serve the purpose so passionately desired by Rebecca before she died."

Desmond Wilcox (Deceased) April 1997

A postscript by Helena Best (Rebecca’s mother and CWAC Patron)
They have a past. They have no present and no future. But on 18th September 1996 'Rebecca's Secret' was told to millions of people and the names of Rebecca, Bonnie and David Handel will live forever - all thanks to Desmond Wilcox.