Mark and Margo, who rarely saw eye to eye, are now competing together on the BBC reality show Race Across The World after a dying wish from Mark's wife Julia. On her last day, Julia asked Mark to become best friends with her sister Margo, despite their contrasting personalities. Mark is bashful and quiet, while Margo is loud and vivacious.
Three years later, the pair are sprinting from Palermo, Sicily, to a remote village in Mongolia without credit cards, phones or planes, relying on each other's strengths. Viewers have just seen them unexpectedly win the first leg of the race.
Margo, dressed in a bold kaftan, laughs at her unconventional strategy: when Mark fell ill in Georgia, she spent the afternoon drinking wine and eating dumplings, only to discover they were in first place. 'We're like chalk and cheese,' she says.
Without Julia's wish, Margo believes they would have drifted apart. But caring for Julia together strengthened their bond. Mark says: 'You cannot go through life caring for somebody without having some changes in your outlook.'
Margo recalls Julia's last conversation, where she laughed deeply despite her fear of dying. 'She said, "Margo, they say go into the light, but I can't see one." I said, "You're looking at the wrong light – see that neon light at the bar. Go in, order a drink and wait for me." Then she just closed her eyes.'
Both believe Julia would find their adventure hilarious. Mark says: 'She enjoyed experiences, but the five-star hotel kind. She'd think we were bonkers.' Margo adds: 'She'd think we would lose.'
