Emma Willis, Oti Mabuse and Rylan Clark have been forced to halt their Red Nose Day charity Cairngorm challenge due to forecasts of 100mph winds.
The celebrity trio have spent the past two days trekking and camping as they aimed to reach the top of the Cairn Gorm Mountain.
However, their journey has now been deemed unsafe as 100mph gusts are expected to hit tonight, but they’re hoping to resume their journey tomorrow if conditions improve.
Mrs Willis said: “I feel like the rug’s been pulled from under us. If there’s even the smallest chance of us trying again tomorrow then I’m staying. I’m not going home today. No way.
“I feel like I’ve only done 50% of the challenge and I always give 100% to everything I do. But it’s out of my control. I can’t get lost in my own disappointment though. I need to turn my annoyance into determination.”
‘We’re absolutely gutted’
Miss Mabuse stressed the weather would dictate whether they’ll be able to continue the climb.
She said: “It’s not the result we were hoping for and I’m not good with change. It doesn’t matter what we want now. It’s up to the mountain whether this challenge carries on tomorrow or not.”
Mr Clark joked he intially would’ve welcomed the news, but now feels devastated at the possibility of not completing their mission.
He said: “Two days ago if I’d been told we couldn’t go to the summit I’d have been delighted. Now I’m here I’m absolutely gutted.
“I know it’s the right decision but we’re gutted. Even if there’s the smallest chance of us being able to carry on tomorrow then I’m staying. I didn’t start this challenge to only make it halfway.”
Horrendous pic.twitter.com/tLA06ZL0Sl
— R Y L A N (@Rylan) February 8, 2023
Expedition lead, Graeme Douglas has been with the celebrities every step of the way and stressed they need to make safety their top priority.
He said: “As with all Comic Relief challenges, safety is our number one priority.
“We have been closely monitoring the weather over the past 24 hours and due to 70mph winds and gusts up to 100mph expected on the summit of Cairn Gorm today, we have reluctantly made the decision to pause the climb until tomorrow.
“We have revised the proposed route and weather permitting, we will press on to the summit on Saturday.”
The Cairngorm Red Nose Day Challenge is being documented and will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the run up to Red Nose Day, which returns on March 17.
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