The I’m A Celebrity winner will take on the fundraising challenge next week as details were confirmed for the first time
Lioness legend Jill Scott MBE is taking on an extraordinary five-day challenge for Sport Relief(Image: Getty Images)
Former Lioness Jill Scott has said she is ‘honoured’ as it was revealed she will be taking on a 388-mile run and cycle challenge for this year’s Sport Relief.
The former Manchester City midfielder, who won 161 caps for England, will take on the fundraising challenge in June to help raise money for Sport Relief, the major UK charity campaign run by Comic Relief
Jill is set to cover 388 miles from London’s Wembley Stadium, the site of her historic 2022 Euros win with the Lionesses, all the way to her home town club at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
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The journey up north, starting on Monday, June 8, and travelling through Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and the North East, will see her stopping at football stadiums and community hubs that have been a part of her life and career.
The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here winner spins into action with an intense 112-mile cycle from Wembley to Villa Park, followed by a punishing 99-mile ride to Everton on Day 2. On the third day, she swaps her bike for running shoes to tackle a gruelling 38-mile ultramarathon into Manchester.
The fourth day, next Thursday, raises the stakes further with a brutal, Tour de France-style 111-mile cycling stage into the North-East. Her homecoming is completed on Friday, June 12, with Jill set to triumphantly cross the finish line at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light following a 28-mile marathon finale.
Jill’s epic challenge for Sport Relief has been revealed(Image: Khalil Musa/Comic Relief/PA Wire)
Along the way, Jill will be joined by famous faces and surprise guests who will help carry her through the physical and emotional highs and lows of her toughest test since hanging up her boots.
Jill said in a statement: “I honestly think this is going to push me further than anything I ever did in football. I’ve got a dodgy knee, and a few niggly old injuries from my playing days which I need to look after, but I’m determined not to let that hold me back. It’s nerve wracking when I look at some of these distances, running marathons and cycling hundreds of miles back-to-back. Just like throughout my career, I know I’m going to need a community behind me to get me across that finish line.
“This challenge means so much to me because my journey started long before my days at Wembley. It started with people believing in me, supporting me and giving me opportunities when I needed them most. One thing football taught me is that you never get through difficult moments alone. When things get tough, it’s the people around you who carry you through, and that’s exactly what this challenge is about.
“If people can get behind me, donate, and cheer me on, we can do something much bigger than just getting me across a finish line. My dodgy knees and niggly injuries are nothing compared to what so many people are going through right now. Together with Sport Relief, we can help people through the toughest times – and show everyone that no matter how hard things get, no one has to face it alone.”
Jill Scott’s Coming Home Challenge for Sport Relief can be tracked on Comic Relief’s website. To make a donation, visit www.comicrelief.com/jillscott.
