Olly Murs lay exhausted on the ground after ‘putting on a brave face’ for day three of his gruelling Soccer Aid for UNICEF challenge, which he’s finishing with one toenail missing.
He’s traversing 400km (248.5 miles) around the UK’s toughest terrain by foot, bike, and boat for the entire week to raise money for charity.
The Troublemaker singer was met with a chorus of ‘happy birthdays’ as he crossed his third finish line in Northamptonshire on his journey from Manchester’s Old Trafford to London Stadium.
He’s already raised over £260,000, having cycled 100km (62.1 miles) of the Peak District, in Derbyshire, as well as walking and rowing on Tuesday.
While learning his route live on Heart radio, Olly revealed he had a toenail removed ahead of his longest ride yet, through Cannock Chase.
At the finish line, he shared: ‘I put a brave face on it today. I felt like I needed to really. I needed to kind of hit it, I needed to kind of tackle it full on and there were times that I was really struggling, but you know, all the people that have come along today, I really appreciate it.’
Olly continued: ‘It means a lot. I feel bad I didn’t get a chance to see everyone and thank them personally but it really means a lot. I’m putting my body out there on the line, and the donations really help so thank you.’
On Tuesday, he admitted part of him ‘wanted to quit’ after a ‘relentless’ day but he’s determined to raise money for UNICEF and the kids they support.
Yesterday, he faced extreme weather and even had to reroute to avoid a local fire before running in the dark to the finish line in Nether Heyford.
This Morning’s Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley checked in on Olly as he was joined by Jake Quickenden, who said: ‘That was actually very tough!
‘My legs are burning. It was all uphill. The weather was absolutely horrendous.’
He shared how he thinks Olly is coping, saying: ‘What Olly likes to do, I think, is he puts a smile on and pretends he’s alright but deep down he’s in the trenches. His shins are hurting him. His knees are hurting him. Hats off. The guy’s doing amazing.
‘What he’s doing for children all over the world. It’s going to help so many people. You can see he just wants to get as many donations in for these kids. It means the world to him. You can really feel that when you’re talking to him.’
Jake encouraged fans to donate however much they can to help motivate Olly, who is ‘struggling’ as his ‘body is breaking down’.
The Knees Up singer has turned into a huge gym fanatic in recent years, alongside his marathon-obsessed pal Mark Wright.
The Heart Skips A Beat singer unveiled his toned abs last April, expecting it to be just his fanbase who interacted. Instead, the whole internet suddenly had an opinion.
His body erupted into a gender debate, which even the panel on Loose Women weighed in on, asking if our ‘fitness obsession’ had gone too far.
‘It didn’t affect me, well, it did a bit,’ he confessed to Metro previously. ‘I’d like to think it was done in jest, it was more tongue in cheek, but it did hit home to me.’
Olly shared: ‘I did it for many reasons, personally. It was on my own little journey. So, for it to be put out there like it was quite odd, to be honest.’
One of those reasons was so he could return for Soccer Aid, which he has been involved with for over 16 years.
After a break due to a knee injury, he’s going to get back on the field on Sunday, May 31, to play his eighth Soccer Aid match – if this challenge doesn’t wipe him out.
Olly is being kept in the dark about his specific route each morning, only finding out live on Heart radio when he sets off.
The epic challenge will also be captured for a one-off special documentary, ‘Olly Murs: Steps Into The Unknown’, on ITV, where viewers can watch every moment on Friday, May 29, at 9pm.
The documentary forms part of a special week of Soccer Aid for UNICEF programming from Saturday, May 23, to Sunday, May 31, which celebrates 20 years of the match.
Across the week, audiences can also follow Olly’s journey live on ITV’s This Morning and on Heart.
For more information and to donate to Olly’s challenge visit www.socceraid.org.uk/challenge.
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