BOYBAND star Harry Judd has chosen a Sussex company to bank his young daughter’s umbilical cord and protect her from future illnesses.

The McFly drummer and his wife Izzy have stored Lola Rose Emma’s cord blood and tissue with Burgess Hill firm Cells4Life.

The pair had carried out their own research into stem cell collection and discovered freezing the blood from her umbilical cord could protect Lola Rose from disorders both in childhood and in later years.

Lola Rose was born on January 25, weighing in at 8lbs 2oz following the couple’s well publicised IVF treatment.

Harry and Izzy both felt that storing Lola’s cord blood was the sensible thing to do and will act as the ultimate insurance policy against potential illnesses and disorders.

Harry, 31, said: “It was a no-brainer for us really. Izzy and I discussed it in great detail and the more we discovered by conducting our own research the more it made sense.

“As a parent you naturally want to protect your child and taking the stem cells at birth is the easiest and most pain free way to do so.

“We now know that the frozen stem cells are there which gives us great comfort.”

Cells4Life became the first bank in the UK to provide cord tissue for patient therapy in 2014.

Chairman Wayne Channon said: “We are very grateful to Harry and Izzy for telling their story and promoting the vast array of benefits stem cell storage has to offer.

“Cord blood is the richest and most powerful source of stem cells that a person can ever have but there is only one opportunity to collect them – at birth, which is why it is so important that expectant parents are made aware that this option is available.

“We wish Harry, Izzy, and Lola Rose Emma all the very best for the future.

“Their story is one filled with many positives and they are a wonderful, young family.”