Celebrity Race Across the World contestant Nana has issued a confident warning to her rivals as she teams up with childhood friend Ella Eyre for the show's toughest challenge yet. The friends, who met at school more than 20 years ago, are among four pairs preparing to tackle a 7,500km journey from Kuching in Malaysia to Melbourne, Australia. Nana is backing their friendship to give them an edge.
"We're going to make a good team. I fear for our competitors," she said. Ella and Nana will compete against Jeff Stelling and his son Matt, siblings Princess and Junior Andre, and Sam Ryder and his close friend and tour manager Kaz, reports Wales Online.
The Route and Challenge
The duos will travel through Borneo's ancient rainforests and rural heartlands, reaching five checkpoints across three nations and two continents. Without smartphones, bank cards or their usual creature comforts, they will be tested both physically and mentally.
Celebrity Race Across the World returns to BBC One and iPlayer on 28 October at 8pm.
Ella Eyre and Nana
Having never taken a gap year, Ella and Nana see the race as a chance to have fun together and discover unfamiliar destinations. Ella is equally confident that their long-standing bond will help them through the challenge. "There really aren't that many people I could spend [several] weeks solidly with and still be able to laugh my head off," Ella said.
Ella Mary McMahon, known professionally as Ella Eyre, is a 32-year-old singer who rose to prominence through her collaboration with Rudimental on their chart-topping single 'Waiting All Night'. Sharing glimpses of their adventure on Instagram, Ella wrote: "Side quest of the century with my sister for LIFE @nan__pep @raceacrosstheworld coming soon @bbciplayer @bbcone! Can't WAIT to watch it back with yaaall."
Jeff and Matt Stelling
Sports presenter Jeff Stelling is taking part alongside his son Matt. Jeff, 71, said he was keen to enjoy himself after years of work commitments. Jeff is known for his 29-year stint fronting Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports and presented Champions League coverage from 2011 to 2015. Since December 2023, he has hosted talkSPORT's breakfast programme alongside Ally McCoist.
Princess and Junior Andre
Siblings Princess and Junior Andre, the children of Katie Price and Peter Andre, are keen to step out of their parents' shadow and show viewers their own identities. Princess said: "Everything we do, we get compared to our parents. But we actually have our own thing that we do."
Junior added: "We've kind of got a lot to prove. I'm so excited for this. I cannot wait to do this, we're going to win." Princess, 19, is a social media influencer and model who has fronted her own ITV reality series, The Princess Diaries, since 2025. Junior, 21, has followed his father into a singing career.
Sam Ryder and Kaz
Singer Sam Ryder and his close friend and tour manager Kaz complete the line-up. Like Ella and Nana, they are hoping their years of friendship will stand them in good stead. Sam said: "We met in 2013. Two kids touring in vans. We just got on like a house on fire, straight away. I reckon we can smash this. Think about all the places we've slept over the years on tour."
Sam, 37, rose to fame in 2020 after sharing music covers on TikTok during the Covid-19 pandemic, before representing the UK at Eurovision in 2022. He secured the UK's best result since 1998 and its first top-three finish since 2002. His television credits include Celebrity Gogglebox, Comic Relief and Taskmaster.
Celebrity Race Across the World starts tonight on BBC One at 8pm.
