Billy Monger, star of Celebrity Race Across The World, has revealed why he had to abruptly leave the show during the last episode.
When the other celebrities, including Alex Beresford and Harry Judd, learned that Billy and his sister had stepped down, the race to the finish line was almost over.
Billy and Bonny had taken the lead for the first time, however the final episode began with the other teams getting a letter from the duo explaining the “unexpected news.”
They had written: ‘Dear guys, we are sorry to say a family emergency has meant we’ve decided to leave the race. Wishing you all the best and good luck! Catch you all back on home soil.’
The Formula One driver subsequently said on Instagram that they were forced to return home due to a “bad accident.”
He said: ‘@BonnyMonger and I were gutted to have to leave the race. A close family member had a bad accident so we had to get home.
‘Thankfully all OK now. We loved the journey!’
Billy had earlier revealed how ‘gutted’ he was to leave the competition before the last leg, saying: ‘Unfortunately, we’ve had a family emergency back in the UK so me and Bon have decided to leave the race before the last leg.
‘We’re obviously gutted, we felt like we were growing into the race.
‘It is sad to be leaving the race, but family comes first.
‘It’s a shame but I think it’s for the best.’
Fans were devastated at the news that Billy and Bonny had to pull out, with one writing: ‘So sad that Billy and Bonny had to pull out. I really wanted them to win!’
Another wrote on X: ‘Noooo!!! I wanted Billy and Bon to win Celebrity Race Across The World. Gutted they had to leave it at the last bit.’
Ahead of taking part in the series with his sister, Billy had said: ‘We’ve spoken about travelling before, but it would probably be a little bit different to what I imagine this is going to be like – in terms of doing everything on such a budget and staying in hostels and being tight on money for food.
‘With this opportunity, I spoke to Bon about it, and she said it could be quite cool. So, we sat down and watched the previous series and got more and more into it and then decided why not!’
Good Morning Britain weather presenter Alex and his father Noel were proclaimed champions in the nail-biting final on Wednesday’s broadcast.
The two had been competing against former All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and her mother, but managed to arrive first and claim the championship, barely four minutes ahead of McFly’s Harry and Emma.
Alex described their accomplishment as the “toughest experience I’ve ever had.”
‘But we got to travel together, as men, and that isn’t something that every father and son get to do, and for me, that’s why this has been unforgettable and something that I will cherish for the rest of our lives,’ he added.
Meanwhile his dad said: ‘It was something else. Alex kept saying to me, “come on dad, come on dad” and I said “I’m right behind you!”. He just kept pulling me along and it’s all worth it now!’
Celebrity Race Across The World is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.