Betrayal: Weekly | Angela – Betrayal Weekly
Podcast: Betrayal: Seasons 1, 2, 3 & 4
Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Andrea Gunning
Guest: Angela MacVicar
Episode Overview
This episode tells the story of Angela MacVicar, a Scottish grandmother, whose world was upended by trust, hope, and, ultimately, shocking betrayal. It explores Angela’s journey through her daughter Joanna’s battle with leukemia, the founding of the Rainbow Valley cancer charity in Joanna’s memory, and the devastating discovery that her closest friend and co-founder, Lindsay McCallum, had been systematically stealing from the charity for years. Angela shares her grief, anger, and hard-won resilience, illuminating both the depths of her loss and her determination to keep believing in good.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Angela’s Early Life and Family
[03:13–04:51]
- Angela grew up in a close-knit, all-girls family in rural Scotland.
- Became a mother at 17, raising four daughters, including Joanna, in a busy, loving household.
Memorable Quote:
"Being a young mum and having four...children, there was rarely a quiet moment."
– Angela MacVicar [04:33]
2. Joanna’s Diagnosis & the Fight for Survival
[05:13–10:27]
- Joanna fell ill at sixteen, showing symptoms Angela eventually recognized as leukemia.
- Angela had to be a relentless advocate for her daughter, pushing past medical dismissals.
Memorable Moment:
Angela recalls the critical nurse’s advice:
"She wasn't giving me tea and sympathy... she was being a bit of a badass with me... just telling me without saying the words, 'pull yourself together, you're gonna have to do this.'"
– Angela MacVicar [07:44]
- Joanna’s urgent need for a bone marrow transplant led them to the charity Anthony Nolan Trust.
3. Forming an Unbreakable Bond: Meeting Lindsay
[11:18–16:42]
- At a campaign fundraiser, Angela meets Lindsay McCallum, an ex-Navy, charismatic organizer.
- Lindsay becomes an integral part of the family and of the campaign for Joanna’s donor match.
- Angela recounts the deepening, almost “sisterly” friendship.
Quote:
"You didn't get one without the other. It was like cheese and pickle."
– Angela MacVicar [16:47]
4. Joanna’s Legacy and Rainbow Valley
[18:28–28:13]
- Joanna fought cancer nearly a decade, living vibrantly and advocating for others.
- After Joanna’s passing at 27, Angela and Lindsay co-founded Rainbow Valley, a holistic cancer charity inspired by Joanna’s dream.
- Lindsay, experienced in fundraising and charity work, became Rainbow Valley’s first employee.
Quote:
"Remove Valley is not a life-saving charity. Remove Valley is a life-changing charity... it's what can you do to take back control of a diagnosis of cancer and live a more joyous life."
– Angela MacVicar [28:43]
5. Fractures and Betrayal in the Friendship
[31:03–37:31]
- First conflict arises over Lindsay’s questionable expenditures.
- Lindsay reacts negatively; relationship deteriorates. She undermines Angela’s involvement in the charity, persuading others—including Angela’s daughters—that Angela needs help.
Quote:
"She started telling me that people didn't like me and that I was causing upset on the course ... she had me convinced that I was creating this negative atmosphere."
– Angela MacVicar [32:26]
- Angela gets forced out of operational involvement in Rainbow Valley.
6. Discovery of Financial Fraud
[39:12–45:36]
- On closing out Rainbow Valley accounts, Angela and her daughter Kendall discover numerous payments from a “Friends of Rainbow Valley” account to Lindsay.
- Lindsay offers inconsistent explanations (expenses, loans, repayments), and finally tries to pay Angela £20,000 to drop the matter.
Memorable Dialogue:
Kendall: "Bullshit. Open your eyes and look at it properly."
– [44:53]
- Angela realizes it’s not an accounting error but systemic theft.
7. Aftermath: Police Investigation and Emotional Fallout
[47:47–56:34]
- Angela reports Lindsay to police; investigation reveals Lindsay stole £86,000 (~$116,000 USD).
- Lindsay had syphoned donations directly into her personal account, hiding the fraud for years.
- The police also uncover prior thefts by Lindsay from Anthony Nolan Trust.
Quotes:
"The person I thought she was for me had died. She no longer existed."
– Angela MacVicar [50:02]
"It's just left me wondering, did she ever have any love for...any of us?...Were we just a meal ticket for her? And that hurts like hell."
– Angela MacVicar [53:43]
- Lindsay pleads guilty, sentenced to three years (serves only a quarter), and is ordered to repay both charities.
8. Healing and Moving Forward
[56:34–57:46]
- Amid heartbreak, Angela refuses to become cynical.
- Rainbow Valley survives, regains support, and Angela looks to the future.
Quote:
"I refuse to live my life not trusting people... I know there are more good people in the world than there are bad, and that's what I hang on to."
– Angela MacVicar [56:42]
- Angela shares the story to safeguard Joanna’s legacy and show others it’s possible to survive life’s worst, echoing Joanna’s resilient spirit.
Quote:
"When you have a rainbow, it's guaranteed the sun will come out eventually."
– Angela MacVicar [58:54]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “She spoke to doctors about complementary therapies... 30 years ago, doctors scoffed... but she was ahead of her time.” — Angela MacVicar [17:48]
- “Joanna gave us the vision. Joanna gave us our mission. I was a storyteller and Lindsay was the expertise behind pulling it together.” — Angela MacVicar [29:15]
- “She’d robbed their donors. She’d robbed cancer patients and their families. She’d even tried to close Rainbow Valley forever.” — Andrea Gunning [49:19]
- “Love is not like a light switch. You don’t ever switch it off. I loved the bones of her. She was a fabulous friend... Then I was confused. She stood and read a eulogy at Joanna’s funeral. How could you do that?” — Angela MacVicar [52:48]
Critical Timestamps
- 03:13–04:51 – Angela’s early motherhood and family
- 05:13–10:27 – Joanna’s diagnosis and the advocacy journey
- 11:18–16:42 – Meeting and befriending Lindsay McCallum
- 18:28–28:13 – Joanna’s philosophy, passing, and the launch of Rainbow Valley
- 31:03–37:31 – First cracks in the friendship and charity partnership
- 39:12–45:36 – Discovery of the financial fraud
- 47:47–56:34 – Aftermath: police, betrayal, and emotional reckoning
- 56:34–58:54 – Finding hope and purpose after betrayal
Closing Thoughts
This episode is a raw, emotional account of deep trust, shocking betrayal, and hard-won resilience. Angela’s story is about more than fraud—it’s about hope prevailing through unimaginable grief and hurt, about refusing bitterness, and the determination to honor a daughter’s legacy. Her words offer a message of surviving the worst, with the promise, like a rainbow after the storm, that hope and goodness can return.