Jeff Stelling has revealed that he was repeatedly refused entry to hostels while filming Celebrity Race Across the World because of his age, severely restricting his accommodation options during the race.
The broadcaster, 71, appeared on Wednesday's (November 4) instalment of BBC's Morning Live with his son Matt, where they discussed their journey with presenters Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton.
Hostel age limit causes problems
Jeff explained: "When you're backpacking with someone like me, one big problem is that a lot of hostels will not let you in if you're over 35."
Gethin responded: "I didn't know that," as Jeff confirmed: "Yeah, we were turned away from hostels because I was over 35 - well, only just," he joked.
The current series launched last Tuesday (October 28), with four pairs embarking on an epic trek from Borneo through Southeast Asia to Melbourne, Australia. Jeff and Matt must manage on a budget of £26 per person each day.
Backpacking challenges
Matt confessed: "I was so misguided, to be honest; it's so different from just going backpacking where you could take everything at your own pace, and if something went wrong, well, you could just go book into a hostel and go again the next day."
He added: "We didn't have that luxury at all whilst we were racing, and we're constantly thinking on the race, 'where are we going next and how are we going to get there'."
Jeff also disclosed he had been forced to discard half the contents of his heavy backpack, including designer jeans and a book, to manage it, though he described the experience as "A lot of fun."
Series lineup
Jeff is a television and radio presenter most recognised for fronting Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports, a position he occupied for 29 years. He additionally presented Champions League coverage for five years, between 2011 and 2015.
Beyond sport, he fronted the Channel 4 game show Countdown for four years starting in 2009, and the ITV quiz programme Alphabetical (2016–2017). Since 2023, he has hosted TalkSport's breakfast show alongside Ally McCoist.
Joining Jeff and Matt in this year's Celebrity Race Across the World are Princess and Junior Andre, Ella Eyre alongside her childhood friend Nana, and Sam Ryder with his best mate and tour manager Kaz.
Morning Live airs at 9:30am on BBC One and iPlayer, while Celebrity Race Across the World airs Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC and iPlayer.
