The London Marathon is back. As usual, a host of celebrities will be running through the city along with thousands of other runners.
Blue Peter's Abbey Cooke had hoped to take part in a wheelchair, but had to pull out a few days before the race due to health reasons. Addressing her fans on her Instagram, she explained: “I really want to run this marathon, I really want to do it, I want to do everything I set my mind to…but there comes a time when you have to draw the line.
“And I think this is probably because I don't want to damage my wrist for the rest of my life.” “I think this is the limit for me health-wise right now,” she added.
Unfortunately, Cook will be absent this year, but a number of other stars will be running the 42.2 mile race across London on April 21st to raise money for various charities.
Take a look at some of the people who have signed up and their comments so far.
Christopher Eccleston
Doctor Who star Ecclestone has been a runner for many years and signed up this year to raise money for The Big Issue magazine and to mark his 60th birthday. The actor also says this won't be his last time. He plans to do it again when he's 70 years old.
“I ran my last marathon in 2014, when I was 50 years old, to celebrate my daughter Esme, who was born in August 2013,” he told The Big Issue. “Now I want to run another event to celebrate the fact that I'm still alive at 60.”
He continued: “And I promise myself that when I'm 70, I'll try again. It's going to be 10 years of me staying focused and busy. That's the plan. I'm going to spend the next 10 years so far We want it to be as disciplined and energetic as it has been for the last 10 years, and for many years to come.”
laura hamilton
Place in the Sun host Hamilton is running for WellChild, a national charity that gives children and young people with serious illnesses the best chance to thrive.
In a post on Instagram this week, she admitted she was feeling “anxious.”
“I didn't really like long distance running, but through training I've learned to enjoy it more,” she said.
“It's been tough, I keep asking myself, have I done enough? I really don't know. Am I aiming for a specific end time? No. I just want to raise money for a great cause. I want to finish my work while doing so.”
“If you're nervous about this weekend's events, I'm with you, but let's get through it together!” she added.
Joel Dommett
TV star Joel Dommett will run in a giant piranha costume in aid of Shooting Star Children's Hospice.
The Survivor host said he realized the importance of the organization after he and his wife, Hannah, welcomed son Wilde last year.
“They provide end-of-life care for children and do amazing work for families in need,” he said on Instagram. “After Wilde was born, I started to fully realize how important this charity is to families in need, so I really want to raise as much money for them as possible.”
Natalie Pinkham
TV presenter Natalie Pinkham is running a marathon in memory of her friend Caroline Flack after the Love Island host took her own life at the age of 40 in 2020.
She plans to run for the Samaritans, explaining on Instagram: “The Samaritans will be running for the music and comedy festival Flakstock on July 22, 2024. I'm standing for Samaritans because it's one of the four great charities we support, which raises money and awareness for mental health issues, and our beautiful friend Caroline Flack. In memory.”
Romesh Ranganathan
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan told fans on Instagram that he vowed never to run a marathon. But he ended up going back on that vow to run for Calm, a campaign against living in misery.
“If I hadn't gotten help when I hit rock bottom, I don't know where I would be right now,” he wrote on Instagram. “The truth is, I don't know if I'm even here at all, so I want to make CALM's life-saving service more widely known and raise as much money as possible.
The TV star also called on people to donate to the Marathon fundraising page if they could, saying: “I'll match your donation (unless it gets too expensive and I end up losing my house)'' ),” he added.
emma barton and jamie borthwick
Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick's London Marathon experience has been given a twist, with real footage of them tackling the run to be featured on EastEnders.
Albert Square favorites, aka Honey and Jay, are joining in the BBC drama to pay tribute to Borthwick's wife Laura (Danielle Harrold), who died of a brain tumor. During the run, the crew filmed several scenes to add to his EastEnders.
In real life, Borthwick is actually standing for prostate cancer, and Burton is set to stand as representative of BBC Children in Need.
She said this on The One Show last week. “It’s very exciting because it’s very complex and it’s never been done before… We’re going to have four crews at four points… I’m not going to go, so they’re going to do our I just hope you catch 'em back to get them back, that's for sure!
Tom Grennan
Tom Grennan is running from the shelter, but admitted just two months ago that he was “not training for a marathon at all” at the time.
“To be honest, I'm not a big fan of running,” the singer said while sharing a video of her first run on Facebook. “All I'm thinking is, 'How the hell am I going to run 10 miles?'” he told fans as he jogged.
harry judd
McFly star Harry Judd has previously run the London Marathon and will be among the returning runners to take off from the start line this weekend.
The musician is a big supporter of the Children's Trust and will support charities for children with brain injuries.
The London Marathon will be held on Sunday 21st April.
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