{"id":39810,"date":"2023-09-05T16:18:08","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T16:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caffeprada.com\/?p=39810"},"modified":"2023-09-05T16:18:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T16:18:08","slug":"mcflys-harry-judds-tears-as-he-breaks-down-on-celeb-race-across-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/caffeprada.com\/celebrities-news\/mcflys-harry-judds-tears-as-he-breaks-down-on-celeb-race-across-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"McFlys Harry Judds tears as he breaks down on Celeb Race Across the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many, the idea of backpacking across 24 countries with a parent sounds like a recipe for disaster \u2013 but it\u2019s exactly what Good Morning Britain\u2019s Alex Beresford, McFly\u2019s Harry Judd and All Saints singer Melanie Blatt signed up for on Celebrity Race Across the World. <\/p>\n

Along with racing driver and pundit Billy Monger, 24, the BBC show spin-off sees them competing against each other as they race from Morocco to Norway over a month with a limited budget, no air travel and no electronics.<\/p>\n

During their epic journey they are allowed to bring along a plus one. While Mel and Harry chose to travel with their mums, Helene and Emma, and Billy with his sister Bonny, Alex picked his dad Noel \u2013 and found that there were sometimes power struggles during their trip.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI was completely out of my comfort zone,\u201d says Alex, 42. \u201cAt points, I wanted to press on and my dad wanted to stay. Obviously I\u2019ve got so much respect for my dad and I didn\u2019t ever really want to go against any decisions that he wanted to make. But ultimately, I found myself in very difficult situations where I was like, \u2018I might have to overrule him\u2019, and I didn\u2019t know how he was going to take it. But actually, he took it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Harry, 37, the show was an opportunity to reconnect with his mum Emma after leaving home as a teenager to find fame with McFly. \u201cI\u2019m the youngest of three and was a mummy\u2019s boy growing up,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

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\u201cThen suddenly at 17, I was in this band and just so busy \u2013 the dynamic of our relationship shifted a lot. I didn\u2019t consider the impact that my leaving had on mum and now having children myself, I can relate to what she went through. One of the things I enjoyed most was spending 10 hours on a train with her. We would talk for nine-and-a-half of those hours about life, her childhood. That was the most special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spending time with her mum wasn\u2019t a novelty for singer Mel, 48. \u201cWe\u2019ve lived next door to each other for the past 10 years and we\u2019ve always been in each other\u2019s pockets,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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The mother-daughter trip did boost the pop star\u2019s self-esteem and marked \u201cnew territory\u201d in their relationship. \u201cI think I\u2019ll always be plagued with self\u2013doubt as far as my talents, but I\u2019m definitely more confident at being alone in the world and dealing with whatever situation is in my way,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

While presenter Alex says it was \u201ca huge privilege\u201d to travel with his father, it wasn\u2019t an easy choice. \u201cMy wife Imogen really wanted to come, but we\u2019d only been married for four or five weeks,\u201d Alex says. \u201cI thought that would be a lot of pressure to put our relationship under \u2013 we might snap at each other more, whereas with my dad, I knew there was going to be that level of respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Harry was tempted to ask one of his McFly bandmates along and reckons Danny Jones would have been perfect. \u201cHe\u2019s charming, very charismatic and a lot of fun,\u201d the drummer says.<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s mum Emma proved to be the best choice, however, when he found himself suffering from homesickness. \u201cOne morning, I had a 20-minute call with my family and I completely broke down,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve never missed my wife so much. I went into mum\u2019s room and had a bit of a cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, Emma managed to combat her son\u2019s blues with a bit of cross-stitch. \u201cShe got this tapestry out that she always does in the winter months and she\u2019d brought me one. I was quite emotional and used it to focus my mind. But three weeks of obsessive stitching ensued and it was therapeutic. Mum called it, \u2018Stitch and b***h.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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Harry wasn\u2019t the only one who struggled with being away from loved ones \u2013 Alex admits that not speaking to his wife or son Cruz, 13, \u201cabsolutely killed\u201d him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough, but my wife and family wrote us letters to read on each stop of the journey and I can\u2019t tell you how much we enjoyed opening them. It\u2019s the hardest show on television and it was gruelling. It takes a lot out of you but you get a lot out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the biggest challenge for Mel? Cost-cutting! \u201cI thought we were doing very well with budgeting but we actually weren\u2019t at all,\u201d she says. \u201cMy idea of budgeting was, \u2018I get a pizza, you get a bowl of pasta, we\u2019ll have half each.\u2019 A lot of money was spent on food \u2013 and taxis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrity Race Across the World airs from Wednesday 13th September at 9pm on BBC One. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n