Politician Tom Watson digs deep for TV challenge
From Parliament to rowing the length of the UK – former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson has got stuck in for a new ITV show.
The ex-West Bromwich East MP turned author was among 11 other celebrities to take on coastal challenges in Don’t Rock The Boat.
The programme has seen the celebrities split into two teams who row the length of the UK – while also taking part in challenges on land.
And it has featured the politician – and now chair of Music UK – along with West Bromwich-born Olympian and presenter Denise Lewis OBE. Ms Lewis, who claimed gold in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said: “I like to think I’m quite a tough character.
“I thought I’d seen it all. And there were moments when I thought, ‘this is not right, we shouldn’t be going through this’.
“But there was just something, about that camaraderie, about that need to keep digging deep that just didn’t let you quit.”
The teams were split into two – the red and blue team – with Mr Watson on the red, joined by X factor singer Fleur East, supermodel Jodie Kidd, cycling star Victoria Pendleton CBE and actors Craig Charles and Adam Thomas.
Tenacity
The opposing blue team consists of The Chase’s Dark Destroyer Shaun Wallace, The Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt, YouTuber Joe Weller, actress Lucy Fallon, Love Island winner Jack Fincham along with Denise Lewis.
Regular coronavirus tests were taken by everyone involved, but the cast were allowed to be close as they formed a social bubble, co-presenter AJ Odudu said.
X Factor singer and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! star Fleur East said “every single person” who took part “reached their breaking point” due to the challenge. She said it was more difficult than being in the jungle – but said she was impressed by how Mr Watson coped with the challenges.
She said: “Tom Watson, who I thought was completely out of his depth, he was amazing. He had such a good stroke and his tenacity was unreal, he just never gave up.”
The challenge started off in St Ives in Cornwall, with the route including a row up the Welsh coast – passing through Fishguard in Pembrokeshire.
The journey continues up towards Northern Ireland before the final leg of the journey will see them travel to the small villages of Gairloch and Ullapool, until the challenge finally comes to an end at Lochinver in the north of Scotland.
