Jamie Laing ‘will crawl’ over finish line in order to complete ultra-marathon

BBC Radio 1 presenter Jamie Laing has said he will “crawl over the finish line” if he has to in order to complete an ultra-marathon challenge for charity.

The broadcaster and former Made In Chelsea star set off on Monday morning to tackle the 150-plus mile run from London to Salford to raise money for Comic Relief.

The 36-year will attempt to run five marathons in five consecutive days, leaving the BBC headquarters in London and reaching Media City in Salford on Friday March 21.

Laing told the PA news agency: “I’ve only sort of trained since the new year so I’ve done about two-and-a-half months of training and I ‘AI-ed’ it and it said: ‘You need a year to train for this’, which is good.

“We’re gonna get it done and there’s no plan B so even if I have to crawl over the finish line, I’ll get it done.”

Laing is best known for appearing on the reality TV series, Made In Chelsea, which follows a group of affluent men and women as they live their lives in London.

Since leaving the series, Laing has become a presenter on BBC radio 1, started the podcast NewlyWeds with his wife and former Made In Chelsea star, Sophie Habboo, and also hosts his own series titled Great Company where he interviews new guests each week.

Laing is also the co-founder of the confectionary company, Candy Kittens.

The presenter dedicated the challenge to those who might be suffering, especially from their mental health, referencing his own challenges dealing with “crippling anxiety” in his 20s.

Laing said: “In my 20s I suffered with anxiety, really badly, crippling anxiety. And I kind of really feel that this run is sort of a metaphor, putting one foot in front of the other.

“If you’re feeling a certain way, if you’re feeling down or anxious or whatever it may be, just keep moving forward.

“And so this is for me, for all those people who are suffering, who know someone who suffered, who has suffered through loads of things. So that’s the reason I’m doing it.

“I’ve spent a lot of time probably worrying about myself a lot over the past 30 odd years and this is a real moment to really not think about myself and do something for a load of other people.

The challenge is part of Comic Relief’s fundraising show, Red Nose Day, which returns to screens on Friday March 21 with the aim of raising money to help support communities by providing food, healthcare and shelter for those who need it most.

He added: “This is to raise a huge amount of money for people who really need it and that’s kind of a really amazing thing to do. So these next five days, if I do it, are all for those amazing people.”

Red Nose Day returns on March 21 from 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.