Graduate Alex wins TV series Celebrity Race Across the World

University of Gloucestershire alumnus and TV presenter Alex Beresford has won the latest series of BBC’s Celebrity Race Across the World.

Alex, who completed a degree in English Studies and Performance Arts, and his father, Noel, reached the final checkpoint in Tromsø, Norway, ahead of their rivals in the final episode of the popular series last night.

It was the culmination of a challenging and eventful competition in which teams of celebrities and their family members backpacked their way across 24 countries, starting in Marrakech in Morocco, without the aid of bank cards and phones and with air travel prohibited.

Alex – the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University in 2014 – said: “This is the toughest experience I have 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.”

Alex, guest presenter and weather presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, added: “We’ve been fully consumed by the race, and anything that has been happening in the outside world has been so far away, and that’s probably a good thing.

“You can’t dwell on things, you have to move on mentally so that you can move on physically, so I feel great about that. I feel like I’ve readjusted.

“I’ve never taken this amount of time off of work before, the race has challenged my routine and I definitely think I have become more open minded.”

Image: Alex Beresford and his father, Noel, after winning the BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World (credit BBC/Studio Lambert Ltd)