A line up of celebrities are taking on a 100 mile ‘desert triathlon’ for Sport Relief in 2020.
Over four days, they will take on a 100-mile triathlon across the Namib desert in Namibia to raise life-changing cash and tackle mental health stigma.
Sport Relief: The Heat Is On took place later last month (February) and the action was filmed for a BBC One documentary to air TONIGHT, Wednesday March 11 at 8PM on BBC One.
Those taking part include BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw, The Saturdays’ Frankie Bridge, TV barrister and presenter Judge Rob Rinder and broadcaster Louise Minchin.
Joining them are actress Samantha Womack, journalist and broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, TV presenter Karim Zeroual and Dr Zoe Williams.
The team will attempt to traverse the Namib desert in Namibia, Africa by foot, bike and ski to reach a shipwreck on the notoriously dangerous Skeleton Coast.
They will face exhausting days in the blistering sun as they take on the highest sand dunes on earth and encounter deadly desert wildlife all in temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius.
Sport Relief: The Heat Is on will raise money to help improve life-changing mental health services and support many other projects tackling poverty and injustice, both in the UK and around the world.
The BBC One documentary which will air the week of Sport Relief, which is back on Friday 13th March.
Nick Grimshaw said: “It’s going to be a huge challenge out there but I know the rest of the team will give me the support I need to keep me going. Sport Relief raises money for so many amazing causes – one being mental health, which I think is really important.”
Frankie Bridge commented: “I know first-hand about how difficult struggling with your own mental health can be. One of the hardest parts is speaking out about it. I first started talking about it in 2012; it was the best thing I could have done, and it’s still something I deal with daily.
“This is why I wanted to take on this challenge for Sport Relief, to spark a conversation about mental health and let people know that they don’t have to go through anything alone.”
Rob Rinder added: “I have had mental health challenges over the years and the thing that I found to be the most powerful and lasting for me, is to set aside some time, every day, to talk to people, and to exercise. I am taking this on because I know how important the work Sport Relief supports is.”
Louise Minchin said: “I’m used to discussing the big topics on BBC Breakfast most mornings, so I’m thrilled to be part of a challenge with Sport Relief which aims to start a dialogue and help remove the stigma around mental health.
“It is an enormous global issue – one in four of us will experience mental health issues in our lifetime, and so many of these people don’t get the help they need.”
Karim said: “I’m a yes man and I love taking on challenges and being able to support people. Mental health problems can affect all ages and all genders. I struggled with it growing up. Your mental health needs to be just as strong as your physical health. I can’t express how much I despise the cold, and I know I have a shock coming to me but we’ve got a great team of celebs going out there.”
Krishnan Guru-Murthy commented: “If something bad happens, if something goes wrong, I will handle that quite well because I’m quite good in a crisis. But my real worry is that I’m going to be the one having the hard time. I like ensuite bathrooms and I like big beds. I’m not looking forward to camping, it’s not really my kind of thing.
“But this is a fantastic opportunity for me to do something good, to help raise loads of money that will really change other people’s lives. I spend a lot of my time reporting on these issues [mental health], and it will be great to actually do something myself that makes a difference.”
Samantha Womack added: “As an actor, I’m obviously used to playing someone else, so it’s going be quite different being filmed just being myself, for nearly a week! Plus, this is a challenge that will push us to our limits, both mentally and physically, so everything’s going to be on the surface. I can’t wait to get stuck in.
“I love the idea of working as a team and all being in it together. I am thrilled to be doing it for Sport Relief, to raise vital funds for mental health services and raise awareness of the scale of the problem.”
Money raised for Sport Relief will support people living incredibly tough lives in the UK and around the world. Find out how you can get involved here
