Celebrity Race Across the World returns to our screens on Wednesday night, with a fresh batch of famous faces embarking on an epic adventure of a lifetime. The stars will hand over their smartphones and bank cards and instead, must get creative on their 12,500 km journey.
The race kicks off in Belém, Northern Brazil and will pass through five checkpoints across the length of South America before the celebs reach their final destination in the Andes, Frutillar in Southern Chile. But which stars are taking part in this year’s show? Keep reading to find out…
© Studio Lambert/Hans Georg/BBCKelly Brook and her husband Jeremy
Kelly Brook, 44, is a model, actress and media personality. No stranger to reality shows, the star has previously appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Juice and The Masked Dancer.
Kelly will be accompanied by her husband Jeremy Parisi, whom she wed in Italy in 2022.
On why they chose to sign up for the show, Kelly said: “I think Jeremy and I were looking for a new adventure to go on together and we love to travel. And this just seemed like the dream to get to the airport and not know where you’re going. That is like a dream, to go to the airport, be given a plane ticket and just go.”
While they’re looking forward to spending quality time together, Kelly previously revealed that the couple keep their romance alive with intimate dinners at home.
“We have candlelit dinners most nights,” she told HELLO! in April. “We recently moved house and we have an actual grown-up dining room for the first time. We like to light the candles, sit opposite each other and eat and talk – no phones in the room.”
© Studio Lambert/Hans Georg/BBCJeff Brazier and his son Freddy
Jeff Brazier, 45, is a TV presenter who rose to fame on the reality show Shipwrecked before going on to present I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! NOW! and This Morning.
He’s also appeared as a contestant on Dancing on Ice, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and Celebrity MasterChef.
Jeff and his son Freddy are looking forward to making memories together on their epic journey across South America.
Jeff said: “I wanted to take part because firstly, the travel element is an absolute privilege, the last celeb lot went through 24 countries apparently, what’s not to love about that experience?
“But also to share it with my son and to be able to make those memories. He’s not a child anymore, he’s a young adult – I feel like at some point he’s going to move out and I’ll lose him. So, I guess I’m just trying to squeeze every last bit out of him that I can.”
Meanwhile, Freddy said he’s “so grateful” to be able to take part and is looking forward to spending some quality time with his dad. “It’ll be nice to spend that time with Dad, just me and my dad. Dad’s got a busy life, he works a lot and there aren’t loads of times where we’ve done stuff just the two of us,” he said. “But when we do I’m really lucky whether it’s going to the cinema, going to the driving range, it’s all good.”
© Studio Lambert/Hans Georg/BBCKola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Elle
Kola Bokinni, 32, is an actor who’s best known for playing Isaac McAdoo in Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.
Kola will be joined by his cousin Mary Elle, who says she’s “always open to go on an adventure”.
On why he decided to say yes to the show, Kola explained: “It’s not so many times that you get to do something like this. Obviously, I’ve travelled with my job but I’ve always had to play other characters. But to do something and it’s me, and with my family and I’ll get to see what we’re all about, and test our mustards a little bit. So, that’s the reason why I wanted to do it, to just experience a different side of life and the world.”
© Studio Lambert/Hans Georg/BBCScott Mills and his husband Sam
Scott Mills, 51, is a radio DJ and TV presenter, who made his name presenting the Scott Mills show on BBC Radio 1. Nowadays, he can be heard on BBC Radio 2. He’s also a regular commentator on the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Scott will be joined by his husband (then fiancé), Sam on the race. On why they decided to take part, Scott, who wed his other half in June, said: “Before we get married, everyone says the holiday test is you know you could be with somebody if you go on holiday with them. This is like that times a thousand. Not that I have any doubts that Sam is the one for me, but there will be times in this, I imagine, when it will get stressful. And I think I’m expecting it, I don’t know, but I’m expecting it to be big highs and probably big lows. So, if we can get through this, we can get through anything basically.
“I have no doubt that we will but that’s part of the reason why I wanted to do it. I also really just want to throw my phone away for a bit. I wouldn’t be able to get to do this again,” he added.
