Singer Olly Murs has broken down in tears after completing his Soccer Aid challenge, which he said had “surpassed” all his expectations.
The 42-year-old crossed the finish line at the London Stadium in Stratford on Friday, completing his five-day Into The Unknown challenge.
Murs was tasked with running, cycling and rowing 249 miles between Manchester and London, with no clue of what to expect on his route each day until hours before he set off.
It was revealed on Friday that the star raised £832,003 for the charity.
Speaking to ITV’s This Morning, Murs thanked the public for donating, adding that their support has kept him going.
He said: “I am in bits.
“That run from central London to here was so painful, but I just kept thinking, I gotta get to the end.
“Thank you to everyone. The donations have been amazing, and it surpassed my expectations how amazing this has been.
“To be given the opportunity from Soccer Aid, who have been an amazing part of my life, so to be able to do this and to raise that sort of money, I’m just really proud of myself and proud of the fact that Soccer Aid, still to this day, is such a huge charity that does so much with Unicef to help kids around the world, it’s amazing.”
The singer added that the first thing he is going to do is see his children and “give them a big hug” before going home and getting some pizza.
He said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for donating and doing this.
“You really don’t know how much that’s going to change kids’ lives and families, not just here, but across the world. So thank you.”
The third – and longest – day of the challenge on Wednesday was dogged by torrential rain and an unexpected reroute caused by a fire.
Murs is due to compete in the charity fundraising match on May 31 for team England alongside actor Tom Hiddleston, former England player Wayne Rooney and Adolescence star Owen Cooper.
It comes after the singer recently travelled to Romania with Unicef to visit the Pipera Primo Hub, a play, learning and parenting project in northern Bucharest which supports Ukrainian children who have been displaced by conflict, as well as Romanian children.
Murs is best known for his chart-topping hits including Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight, and Troublemaker.
His challenge will be chronicled in a one-off documentary which will be available to watch on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player on May 29 at 9pm.
