Tess Daly sends emotional message to ‘amazing’ husband Vernon Kay ahead of the fourth and final day of his Children In Need Ultramarathon… as his fundraising total reaches £4m
Tess Daly shared an emotional message to her husband Vernon Kay on Friday ahead of the completion of his Children In Need Ultramarathon.
Taking to Instagram, the TV star, 54, called Vernon, 49, “amazing” hours before arriving at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground to complete the fourth and final day of the challenge – for which he raised an eye-watering £4million from publication at the time .
Vernon’s challenge involves running and walking nearly 100 miles over the last three days, with the rest to be completed on the final day.
In her post, Tess lamented her absence as she had to stay away from the main London show of Strictly’s live show on Saturday, but said she was proud of the achievement.
Alongside a screenshot of their FaceTime call, the blonde beauty wrote: ‘Absolutely gutted not to be at the finish line to cheer you on today! (I’m on Strictly) BUT what a moment, what an achievement…
My Husband: Tess Daly shared an emotional message to her husband Vernon Kay on Friday ahead of the completion of his Children In Need Ultramarathon
Update: On Instagram, the TV star, 54, calls Vernon, 49, ‘amazing’ hours before arriving at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground to complete the third and final day of the challenge – for which he raised a whopping £4million on the time of publication
‘I’m SO PROUD of what you’ve done! I can see in your body that it has taken a physical toll, but I know it doesn’t matter right now as the total of over 3 MILLION raised for Children in Need is simply incredible…
‘The generosity and support from everyone who has kindly donated and from those who have come to support you along the way has been beyond amazing and I know it has kept you going (and so have I), I love you, Vern, you ‘I got this!!’
Vernon made his way to the final pit stop of the third day after tackling Kinder Scout in the Peak District before heading to Stockport and then Old Trafford.
Upon his arrival, the BBC R2 star was given a warm welcome by legions of fans who gathered to greet him.
On Friday morning, Vernon set off just before 7am to complete the final leg of his challenge, which he will complete in his home town of Bolton.
His journey takes him through Salford, Linnyshaw, Little Hulton and Middlebrook, before ending at the Toughsheet Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers.
On Thursday, Vernon admitted he started to struggle as he walked across Kinder Scout as the group added a mile to the trip because of the weather.
He said, ‘I’m done now, I’ve had enough. I’m exhausted, I have no energy left.’
Gruelling: Vernon made his way to the final pit stop of the third day after tackling Kinder Scout in the Peak District before heading to Stockport and then Old Trafford
“It’s going to take a lot to rebuild me now and get me on my way to the other side of Manchester. That was hard.
“I know people said Kinder is a brave thing to do on a normal day, but we did that for almost 14 miles and now we still have 10 miles to go…
‘The difference, it seems, is that everything we’ve done so far – the forty miles we’ve done so far, was all on the backs of the legs while running, and now that was just a big, heavy push up and then a step over the top…
‘The plateau and then down was just horrible because you have to watch your feet, so everyone says ‘the beautiful views’, I didn’t see anything, I just stared at my feet. It’s the worst.
“That’s worse than yesterday’s 40 miles… That’s the worst ever. If you said to me we’re going to do 40 miles and run them, I’d say never in a million years, and we did that yesterday and then I thought Kinder would have been a relatively easier day. …
‘Kinder the killer… I’m done, I have no energy left. I have to take off my boots, my toes are hurting. I have to get gas because people gave me a high 5, but I couldn’t even lift my arm.”
After the grueling journey to Manchester, Jo Whiley revealed that fundraising was around £2.7 million, with hopes of raising £3 million on Friday.
Continue! Vernon started the ambitious four-day marathon on November 14 at 9am in an effort to raise money for Children in Need
Vernon said, “Oh come on, come on. If I can get these 50-year-old legs pounding down the street to Old Trafford, no matter how much you have, big or small, as long as you can put your hands in your pockets for Children in Need.
‘I’ve seen so many people on the run saying we’re supported by Children in Need… dig deep, get me off my backside and take me to Old Trafford tonight.’
After arriving, Vernon spoke to his wife Tess, who said, “Oh my goodness, it’s been emotional, hasn’t it today?”
She added: ‘My nerves are shredded because I literally can’t do anything else. I just listen to the radio and wait for news. And waiting to hear from you.”
Vernon started the ambitious four-day marathon on November 14 at 9am in an effort to raise money for Children in Need.
Starting in Leicester’s Victoria Park star will eventually travel about 185 kilometers on foot.
Speaking on Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show earlier on Thursday, Vernon chatted about his progress and was dubbed a ‘hero’ for his ambitious challenge.
He said: ‘It was brilliant! It was great and you know what? Lots of people turned up this morning too, they’ve been here for a while, and I’ve got loads of friends who live in Buxton.
The broadcaster continued: ‘I call them the Rave Brigade from Buxton and the Derbyshire Dales and they have all come to me.
‘[It] brings back so many fond memories of when we were partying and stuff, it’s brilliant.’
Zoe, 52, then quizzed the former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star on how he was holding up physically, as he admitted he was “absolutely devastated.”
Vernon said: ‘It was an interesting yesterday as I was absolutely exhausted after the 40 miles.
“I came in and your body pumps itself full of adrenaline when you see everyone laughing and clapping and cheering and whooping and shouting.
‘And then there’s that silence, where you just sit down and slowly take it all in and try to figure out what happened.
Challenge: Starting in Leicester’s Victoria Park, the radio presenter will finish in his hometown at Bolton Wanderers’ football stadium on November 17
Support: Vernon was cheered on by a huge crowd during his challenge and he stopped to pose for photos with schoolchildren and teachers, who held up a sign in support of him
‘And then I walked into my bedroom and literally fell on the bed! And this morning I couldn’t wake up and I felt real [sick].
“I said to the gang, ‘I’m feeling sick this morning, I feel a little light-headed, my stomach isn’t great,’ and they said, ‘Oh, that’s to be expected, because of everything you’ve done.’ ‘.’
Vernon’s parents also offered their support for him during an appearance on the BBC’s Jo Whiley Show.
His mother Gladys said, “Hi Vern. Now listen, you’re doing great. Honestly, I can’t tell you that all this love and support you’re getting affects me.
“I’m so proud, I’m filling up because you know how much you are loved and to hear these comments online about you and to listen to all these people and to write it down to my son, it’s just too much.”
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