Celebrity Race Across the World 2025 cast: Meet the duos taking part

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Get ready! A new season of Celebrity Race Across the World is almost here, featuring a fresh group of celebrities and their partners embarking on an incredible journey.

This season, competitors will start on a Caribbean island and race through a series of checkpoints, ultimately finishing in the beautiful La Guajira Peninsula in Colombia, which is considered the gateway to South America.

Once again, the contestants will be completely cut off from modern conveniences, having to go without phones and internet. This season, they’ll also be facing a particularly tight budget – one of the lowest in the show’s history – as they try to complete the journey.

So, who will dare to take on Celebrity Race Across the World 2025?

Roman and 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 stopped taking antidepressants over a year ago, and running the race was a real challenge for his anxiety. He says it was likely the most rewarding thing he’s ever done for TV, but the race itself was incredibly difficult. He used to watch the show and not understand why contestants would cry – now he knows, because he was one of them.

Harleymoon explains that her mother, Shirlie Kemp – who used to sing backup for Wham! and was one half of the duo Pepsi & Shirlie – was originally asked to participate in the first season of Race Across the World. She was planning to bring Harleymoon along, but decided the challenge seemed too difficult. Harleymoon was happy to get another opportunity to take part herself.

What was the worst part of the trip?

Harleymoon: The feeling of being constantly lost!

Roman accidentally kept calling Harley “my beautiful” – mi hermosa – instead of “my sister” – mi hermana – for about a week.

What non-essential items did you pack?

Harleymoon: Sachets of instant coffee, but we had limited access to boiling water.

What was it like getting “zero VIP treatment”, as Roman wrote on Instagram?

It was amazing! Taking local buses really helped us connect with the places we visited. People assume we have it easy because of our backgrounds, but we actually wanted to experience real life and understand the value of money more than anyone else.

Roman, did you consider taking your dad, [Spandau Ballet star and actor] Martin?

That’s unbelievable! I once had to take a connecting flight with him, and he really struggled to understand how it all worked.

Harleymoon: I don’t think he’s taken the Tube in 35 years!

What aspect of your character was least helpful in the race?

Roman and I are incredibly close, even though we’re very different people. When we were younger, he was a quiet, home-loving boy, while I was a rebellious teenager. I’ve always had trouble focusing. He’d try to share his feelings, but I’d often lose track of what he was saying, or even fall asleep. However, as our relationship developed, I learned to truly listen, and we finally began to understand each other.

Molly Rainford and 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 explained that neither he nor his companion took a gap year. They’d both been working since they were young, so traveling and seeing a new part of the world felt like the natural next step. He believes pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones was incredibly beneficial, and they really enjoyed having that dedicated time together.

You and your partner met and started dating on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Did competing on the show create any challenges for your relationship?

Molly: Absolutely, but we always try to look on the bright side. Living with someone is one thing, but being together constantly, especially when things are hard, is another. If Tyler was having a tough time, I’d be there for him, and he’d do the same for me.

Molly: And he proposed despite the truly disgusting smell of my clothes by the end! ▷

What did you learn about yourselves?

I really grew in confidence during the race, especially with making decisions and taking charge. Before, I always relied on Tyler to make calls and schedule things for me, but out there, I started asking strangers for help – it was a huge step for me.

You know, that experience really made me appreciate slowing down. Life throws curveballs, and sometimes you’re just stuck – unable to go anywhere, no matter how much you want to. It’s a good reminder to just be sometimes.

Did you ever consider quitting?

We had a bit of a scare when we discovered bed bugs in our room, but we didn’t let it ruin our experience. We quickly started having a fantastic time and wished the event could last forever.

Tyler explained that he feels very much in charge at home. He also built up his mental toughness and really didn’t want the competition to be over, feeling like he and his team were facing everything together.

Anita Rani and dad, Bal

The presenter, 47, is racing with her dad, a semi-retired businessman, 69.

Why did you sign up to the race?

Anita explained they mostly wanted to enjoy each other’s company. She didn’t have many family vacations growing up because her parents worked a lot. She added that her dad probably didn’t have much say in the matter when it came to signing up for things!

Bal asked if I was up for an adventure, and I immediately thought it might be a weekend trip. I’m always game for adventures, and I was especially keen to get to know Anita better. We have a lot in common – we’re both outgoing, independent, and share a similar sense of humor.

Did it put your relationship to the test?

Around an hour into the race, with the cameras filming, my dad started criticizing me, and I reacted like a typical teenager – I sulked and stomped my feet.

Bal: She was running into the road and I just told her to step back!

What did you learn about yourselves?

Bal said he was surprised by how determined Anita is. Once she’s decided on something, she’s very committed and doesn’t take advice.

Anita admits she struggles to move on from things. She feels her strong drive – in her career and personal life – is both a positive and a negative trait.

What were the biggest challenges?

It was definitely stressful having a camera crew constantly filming me, and the daily pressure of figuring out what to do next was intense. But overall, it was a really enjoyable experience.

Bal couldn’t speak Spanish, which was frustrating. We also wanted to travel quickly and disliked having to wait for buses for long periods.

What non-essential items did you pack?

Bal says they packed brown sauce and chilli sauce, as they didn’t know their destination until they got to the airport.

Anita explained that they both brought resistance bands since her dad loves to work out. She was sure they were heading to East Africa – she’d planned the whole trip and even been teaching her dad some Swahili! She was excited about trying all the curry and visiting the temples, but it looks like that trip will have to wait.

Dylan Llewellyn and mum Jackie

The Derry Girls actor, 33, is racing with his retired mum, 59.

What made you sign up?

Let me tell you, watching Jackie navigate this was genuinely moving. She admitted being scared, but she really wanted to challenge herself. And honestly, a big part of her motivation was simply getting to reconnect with her son, Dylan, who’s all grown up now – a sweet and relatable reason, if you ask me.

Why did you call yourselves “Team Tortoise”?

It took us a while to get started, and asking strangers for help was really difficult. We’re both a little shy, and it felt awkward at first. But we eventually got better at it, and it even became a friendly competition between us.

What did you learn about each other?

You know, watching these characters, I was struck by how much hidden resilience they possess. They seem ordinary enough in their daily routines, but when truly tested, when everything falls apart, a remarkable strength emerges. It’s a powerful reminder that we’re all capable of more than we realize, and that adversity has a way of bringing it out of us.

Dylan and I are both pretty reserved – we prefer to watch and observe rather than jump into things. We’re not naturally assertive, so this was a challenge for both of us, and we really had to motivate each other to get involved and take action. We supported each other through it.

What were the biggest challenges?

We had a really tough time on the trip. We didn’t get much sleep, there was a lot of noise, and we had to eat mostly cheap foods like nuts and bananas because of our limited budget. It all felt very overwhelming, and we constantly felt lost. We definitely worked hard, but we still struggled more than anyone else.

We almost quit at the beginning, but we pushed through. There were times when we both felt completely hopeless, and those were really tough. I was exhausted – I barely got four hours of sleep each night. I couldn’t stop worrying about the race, and I’m sure I look terrible right now!

What were your best moments?

Jackie: Probably when we really messed up and ended up crying with laughter.

Dylan: We experienced so much kindness, and the beauty of central America was breathtaking.

Celebrity Race across the World begins on Thursday 6th November at 8pm on BBC One.

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2025-10-28 04:01