'It means the absolute world' How super Sara Cox raised more than £10m bringing Pudsey Bear home
Super Sara Cox has now raised over £10m for Children In Needs after bringing Pudsey Bear home as part of her marathon challenge.
The Radio 2 DJ completed the gruelling 135-mile marathon challenge - of five marathons in five days - to raise £10,169,084 and said it was “a lot tougher than I ever expected”.
Approximately £35,000 of the total was donated in buckets by spectators watching from the sidelines en route.
A BBC TV crew followed Sara’s journey every step of the way for an exclusive behind-the-scenes appeal film, Sara Cox: Every Step of the Way for Children In Need, which airs on BBC One on Wednesday at 8pm, and it will be available to view from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Sara said: “It was a lot tougher than I ever expected and the recovery was much tougher.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I was thinking ‘oh I will get home and Saturday and Sunday I will probably just take the dogs for a gentle walk’. I can’t really walk!”
Sara crossed the finish line in Leeds on Friday afternoon.
After crossing the finish line, Sara revealed to Scott Mills and Radio 2 listeners that music got her through the challenge: “I would like to thank Chase and Status and Stormzy for Backbone.
“And I'd like to apologise to my son because on telly, if it stays on the documentary, I am singing that song quite a lot and it’s so cringe.
“So I am so sorry to my kids. We spend a lot of time playing brilliant music on Radio 2... I was singing along at one point like a mad woman, singing along to Blur, and all sorts just to try and push through.”
Discussing her footwear choice on Friday night, she said: “I had to put the Crocs on and even that was a squeeze.
“I had to really wrestle my Crocs on because my feet have a lot of fluid on them and you know… You know when you have the flu and at the end you make a brew and you are wiped out? I am like that.”