Today Jamie Laing set off on his Red Nose Day challenge – to complete five ultra marathons in five days.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 36, aims to run over 150 miles from London to Salford and says he will ‘crawl’ over the finish line if he must.
Kissing his wife Sophie Habboo goodbye on leaving the BBC headquarters in London, Jamie plans to reach Media City in Salford on Friday March 21 after the challenging five days, all for Comic Relief.
This morning the reality star posted on social media an admittedly ‘creepy’ scene of lots of runners accompanying him, all with matching Jamie facemasks.
The run is being broadcast live on Radio 1 and BBC Sounds this week, with fellow Radio 1 presenters and special guests joining him at each section end for updates.
The BBC presenter revealed to Metro last week that when it comes to mentally preparing for this challenge, he’s got one major thing in his corner – his naivety.
‘I think with mental preparation, I don’t think you can think about it too much, if I’m honest.
‘I think my naivety is my biggest power. I don’t know how much this is going to hurt. I think I’m leaning on that. I’m going to take it literally one kilometer at a time.
‘Yeah, that’s what I’m literally thinking in my head. OK, let’s just keep going. Let’s just keep going. Let’s just be going. And I just want to raise as much money.’
The presenter revealed that he’s already dealing with some training injuries.
‘Shin splints is not great,’ he said, adding, ‘My hip feels like it’s about to fall off.’
When asked if he’s ever faced a physical challenge like this, he revealed: ‘I did a cross country run at school that was pretty bad.
‘I love a Barry’s boot camp, that’s pretty hard. I played in lots of rugby matches that were really hard.
‘Have I ever challenged myself like this? No, never. So, I mean, it’s completely wild that I’m actually doing it.’
Jamie admitted that his family are rather surprised that he is actually going through with this challenge.
‘I think most people think it’s a joke, because I’m always like, “Oh, I gotta set up a pop up shop on the moon, or I’m gonna do this.” So it’s like, “OK, here Jamie goes again.” Now they think it’s pretty serious.
‘My mom’s a bit worried, to be honest. She’s a bit like, Oh, God, this is a bit much. And my Sophie, my wife, is actuallya bit like, “I’m actually a bit worried for you now.”‘
He added that he is still seen as a bit of a ‘weak bloke’ so it excited to show that he can get ‘dirty’.
‘I think people probably don’t realize that I’m quite resilient. And there is a part of me which is also as much as it’s amazing to do this and that, but also just sort of showing people, oh yeah, I can get down and dirty and gritty if I need to.’
He added: ‘My life has been easy in so many ways, but also it’s been quite hard. I think it’s time to sort of show people I’m not just a bit fluffy.’
Jamie emphasised that the reason he wants to take part in this race is to help raise money for Comic Relief, specifically for charities that help people suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
‘In my 20s, I really suffered badly with anxiety, I mean, like crippling, crippling anxiety, and I never told anyone.
‘I just kept it inside because I was scared and nervous and worried. I thought I would lose my job if I told someone because I was meant to be this sort of happy-go-lucky, outgoing person.’
Jamie received help and wants to help other people who are struggling in the same way that he once was.
‘I really want to raise as much money as possible. For me, it’s like, great that I’ve done the run, great, this and that, but raising that money all I want to do.’
He added: ‘It doesn’t matter if my body hurts, these are all these people mental health and loneliness and things like this. It’s like lava flowing through towns and villages throughout the UK.
‘So if people can get through that, I can definitely get through this.’
Red Nose Day returns on March 21 from 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
This article was originally published on March 10.
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