 He then became a celebrity supporter of The White Sapphire Ball in aid of the NI Children's Hospice, which auctioned off a romantic dinner with McCarthy for £4,500.In December 2009, he took part in a celebrity version of "Panic Attack" and won £1000 for the NI Children's Hospice.In January 2010, McCarthy led the Belfast4Haiti 5K run in his home city with Olympic gold medallist Dame Mary Peters.