¡Vamos a Mexico!
As Celebrity Race Across the World returns, meet the duos racing 5,900km across central America on just £30 each a day
BBC / Studio Lambert
- Amy Raphael
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ROMAN & HARLEYMOON KEMP
The broadcaster, 32, is racing with his singer/songwriter sister, 36
Why did you sign up to take part in Race across the World?
Roman I came off all medication [antidepressants] over a year ago and the race was a good test for my anxiety. It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done on television, but doing the race itself was hell! I used to watch it and wonder why a contestant was crying – well, that was me.
Harleymoon My mum [Shirlie Kemp, a former backing singer for Wham! and half of Pepsi & Shirlie] was asked to be in the first celebrity Race across the World and was going to take me, but thought it sounded too hard. I was glad to have another chance to go.
What was the worst part of the trip?
Harleymoon The feeling of being constantly lost!
Roman Mistakenly telling everyone Harley was “my beautiful” – mi hermosa – instead of “my sister” – mi hermana – for at least a week.
Roman Kemp with his dad Martin. Getty
What non-essential items did you pack?
Harleymoon Sachets of instant coffee, but we had limited access to boiling water.
Roman When I did I’m a Celebrity…, I put tissue paper in my ears and covered my eyes with a bandana each night. During RATW, I had a fluffy lavender eye mask and before bed I’d inhale the smell, put my ear plugs in and pass out.
What was it like getting “zero VIP treatment”, as Roman wrote on Instagram?
Roman Really nice! Getting local buses gave us a grasp of the countries we were in. People think we are nepo kids with no idea of the value of money, but we wanted that taste of reality more than anyone.
Roman, did you consider taking your dad, [Spandau Ballet star and actor] Martin?
Roman No way! I had to get a connecting flight with him once and he couldn’t get his head around it.
Harleymoon I don’t think he’s taken the Tube in 35 years!
People think we're nepo babies, but we wanted that taste of reality
Roman Kemp
What aspect of your character was least helpful in the race?
Roman My anxiety. I was on high alert about everything… Will we be able to cross the border? Have we lost our passports? Has someone stolen our luggage? So I was happy to have Harley with me.
Harleymoon We are very close, but very different. Growing up, Roman was a sensitive homebird and I was a rock ’n’ roll teenager. I’ve got a short attention span. Ro would be talking about his worries, and I couldn’t remember what he was talking about. Or I’d fall asleep. But I learnt to listen to him as the race progressed, and we understood each other for the first time.
MOLLY RAINFORD & TYLER WEST
The actor/singer, 24, is racing with her presenter/DJ fiancé, 29
Why did you sign up to Race across the World?
Tyler Neither of us took a gap year because we were working from such a young age, so it was a no-brainer to go and explore part of the world we hadn’t visited. Diving straight out of our comfort zone was the best thing we could do and we got to spend proper time together.
You became a couple after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Was your relationship put to the test on the race?
Molly Yes, of course, but we are glass-half-full people. We live together, but spending 24 hours a day together in challenging circumstances is different. If Tyler was struggling, I’d support him and vice versa.
Tyler There were times when I thought about trading Molly for a mountain goat to get some extra money to race! But it obviously worked out in the end, because we got engaged after the trip…
Molly And he proposed despite the truly disgusting smell of my clothes by the end!
Molly Rainford and Tyler West. BBC/StudioLambert/Carlos Montero
What did you learn about yourselves?
Molly I became more confident in my decision-making, learning how to take the lead. I used to ask Tyler to phone and make appointments on my behalf, but during the race I asked strangers for help. It was a big deal for me.
Tyler: It taught me to slow down. There are times when you physically can’t travel due to circumstances beyond your control.
Did you ever consider quitting?
Molly It wasn’t ideal when we found bed bugs in our room, but we took a leap into the unknown, started to have a brilliant time and wanted the race to keep going for ever.
Tyler At home I’m very in control. But I developed my mental strength and didn’t want the race to end. It was us against the world.
ANITA RANI & BAL NAZRAN
The presenter, 47, is racing with her dad, a semi-retired businessman, 69
Why did you sign up to the race?
Anita Mainly to spend time together. We didn’t really do holidays as kids, because my parents were too busy working. I don’t think Dad had much choice [about signing up]!
Bal She said, “Dad, are you up for an adventure?” I presumed it was a weekend away, but I’m not afraid of adventures and I wanted to get to know Anita better. We’re very similar: outgoing and independent, with the same sense of humour.
Did it put your relationship to the test?
Anita Maybe an hour into the race, the cameras were rolling and Dad was telling me off about something and I turned into teenage me, stomping and pouting.
Bal She was running into the road and I just told her to step back!
Anita Rani and her dad, Bal Nazran. BBC/StudioLambert/Carlos Montero
What did you learn about yourselves?
Bal Anita is much more driven than I expected. Once she makes a decision, she sticks to it and won’t listen.
Anita I can’t let things go. Being driven – not just in work, but in every aspect of life – is a blessing and a curse.
What were the biggest challenges?
Anita Having a camera crew following you around is pretty tough, and the anxiety of waking up every day and knowing you have to formulate a plan to get from A to B. But it was super fun as well.
Bal Not speaking Spanish. Impatience. We wanted to constantly be on the move, not waiting hours for a bus.
What non-essential items did you pack?
Bal Brown sauce and chili sauce, because we didn’t know where we were going until we arrived at the airport.
Anita We both packed resistance bands because Dad’s really into exercise. I was convinced we were going to East Africa. I had the route mapped out. I’d even been drilling Dad in Swahili. I was happy because we’d get to eat loads of curry and see all the temples. We’ll have to save that trip for another time!
DYLAN & JACKIE LLEWELLYN
The Derry Girls actor, 33, is racing with his retired mum, 59
What made you sign up?
Dylan I’d always wanted to do an amazing adventure with a family member, and I’m a bit of a mummy’s boy…
Jackie I was terrified, but I thought I should push myself. It was also a fantastic chance to spend time with Dylan now that he’s all grown up.
Why did you call yourselves ‘Team Tortoise’?
Dylan We were so slow to get going. Approaching strangers for help was one of our biggest struggles. We’re both quite self-conscious. It was so awkward. Over time we became really good at it and started one-upping each other.
Dylan and Jackie Llewellyn. BBC/StudioLambert/Carlos Montero
What did you learn about each other?
Dylan We’re stronger than we thought. We might hide that strength in day-to-day life, but you can’t when you’re thrown into the deep end.
Jackie Dylan and I are not particularly outgoing. We’re the quiet ones, the observers. We let other people do things for us, so we both had to push ourselves. We helped each other.
What were the biggest challenges?
Dylan Lack of sleep. Loud noises outside our rooms. Not eating well due to the budget – we ate so many nuts and bananas. Feeling lost the whole time. It was so overwhelming. We struggled the most out of everyone, but it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Jackie We were close to giving up at the start, but we managed to stick it out. We both felt despair when we weren’t getting anywhere. Those were very low moments. I probably only had four hours’ sleep a night. I couldn’t stop thinking about the race. I’m sure I look like a wreck!
What were your best moments?
Jackie Probably when we really messed up and ended up crying with laughter.
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Dylan We experienced so much kindness, and the beauty of central America was breathtaking.
Authors
Amy Raphael
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