Celebrity race around the world: ‘Together we can overcome anything’

Four famous duos have traveled almost 6,000 km, hitchhiking through mountain villages, foraging in dense jungles and battling challenges they never imagined, as contestants on Celebrity Race Across the World.

What began in the sunny eastern tip of Mexico is about to come to an end Thursday night as the teams race toward Colombia’s windy La Guajira Peninsula, the final checkpoint of the series.

The budget, £950 per person (the equivalent cost of flying the route) was a limitation, but what else made the trip the challenge of a lifetime?

In the lead-up to the race, Tyler West and Molly Rainford had a glimmer of apprehension.

While the couple knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses inside out, life in the public eye often made them feel like they were “passing ships in the night.”

Their occasional vacations usually had one goal: total relaxation.

This challenge offered something completely different: a chance to take their relationship into new territory and reconnect without the usual distractions; For host and DJ Tyler, that didn’t even mean his beloved Biscoff cookies.

“It was a big question mark in our minds if we would even make it to the first checkpoint,” Tyler admits.

“I remember looking at the last checkpoint on the map and thinking, ‘How the hell are we going to get there?’ But getting this far really puts things into perspective: we’re not as bad at traveling as we thought.”

For actress and singer Molly, one of the biggest takeaways is newfound confidence.

“Talking to strangers, asking people for help, these are things that are no longer done, but the career forces you to do them,” he says.

“It’s given me so much confidence that now I think, ‘What do I have to lose?'”

And as for their relationship? “It showed us that together we can overcome anything,” he says.

For actor Dylan Llewellyn and his mother Jackie, the race was less about crossing the finish line first and more about stepping out of their comfort zone.

After three decades of marriage, Jackie had never been away from her husband for more than a weekend. But she filled the freezer with meat and kidney pies and set out with her son, determined to embrace the unknown.

They learned lessons from previous contestants: save more, spend less, and never, under any circumstances, let go of your money belt or passport.

“I can’t believe we’ve come this far. I thought we wouldn’t make it after the first stage,” Jackie says.

“I’m very happy that we pushed ourselves through the lowest moments, and I’m proud that we both made it to the end of stage five.”

The couple supported each other during the most difficult times, but also learned the importance of asking for help.

“I don’t think we realize how much goodness is out there. And we feel it a lot,” Dylan says.

“We felt a lot of love and unity with the families and it was really strong and beautiful to see.”

Before the race began, broadcaster and writer Anita Rani and her father, Bal, were excited at the prospect of spending five uninterrupted weeks in each other’s company. They hadn’t traveled together since a family trip to India when Anita was just two years old.

As the oldest combined duo in the competition, they were initially concerned whether they would have the stamina to keep up with the younger teams.

But they know that they have the most important thing: determination.

“We are never going to give up,” insists Anita before the final.

“There’s obviously been disappointment so far about things that have been out of our control, but there’s a life lesson in that, isn’t there?

“When Guatemala shut down, we missed a bus or whatever, all those things are completely out of your control and it’s very frustrating, but it’s part of the journey.”

For Anita and Bal, the race has become much more than reaching the finish line.

They have valued the time together and the opportunity to get to know each other better.

“Honestly, this is life and this is what we’ve been through,” Anita says.

“I think my dad has seen a more vulnerable side of me that I don’t normally show.”

Sibling duo Roman Kemp and Harleymoon were candid about their relationship not being as close as they would like – their busy careers had reduced their interactions to quick deliveries of spare keys and dog deliveries.

They are also, by their own admission, polar opposites. Singer-songwriter Harleymoon is a free-spirited adventurer who is usually the last to leave any party.

Broadcaster Roman, devoted to his job and his beloved Arsenal, is naturally cautious about stepping out of his comfort zone.

For them, the race was a chance to become friends again and help them discover new sides of each other.

Roman and Harleymoon describe their time with a family on Panama’s San Blas Islands as truly transformative.

Roman says the race “took me very far from where I am.”

“It was the most important moment for me.

“It makes you realize there’s so much more to life… You see what makes these people happy and how happy they really are, which is just this family.”

For Harleymoon, the experience of having nothing but a few bananas and a hammock “in the middle of nowhere” sparked deep self-reflection.

“Your life has become so simple but so beautiful; it’s an incredible window to reflect and think, wow, we have so much stuff at home and yet we’re always striving for more,” she said.

“Being able to experience days like that, where you’re so full of gratitude, was really amazing.”