Celebrity Race Across the World viewers were left in tears after Anita Rani’s dad Bal made a heartbreaking admission
Helen Kelly Head of Screen Time
21:49, 06 Nov 2025
BBC viewers branded Bal a ‘national treasure’(Image: BBC)
Four famous faces alongside their relatives joined forces for the newest series of Celebrity Race Across the World.
The duos consisted of Anita Rani paired with her father Bal, Dylan Llewellyn travelling with his mother Jackie, DJ Tyler West teamed up with actor and singer Molly Rainford, and Roman Kemp accompanied by his sister Harleymoon.
The contestants began their journey from the picturesque Caribbean island of Isla Mujeres, situated just off Mexico’s easternmost tip.
Their mission was to reach the initial checkpoint in Flores, located in Guatemala’s northern Petén region.
During the opening leg, audiences gained glimpse into their personal bonds, with viewers left devastated when Anita’s father Bal made a poignant revelation following their visit to a Mayan temple, reports the Mirror.
BBC viewers fall in love with Race Across the World star after heartbreaking admission(Image: BBC)
He revealed: “When I was growing up, my passion was to travel and visit different parts of the world. I wanted, actually, to join the Royal Air Force.
“But in them days, Asian families, especially with my family, you had to respect your parents. So, whatever they said, you actually did.
“So I left school at 15 to help them out. So when I had my own family, I focused on giving them more than I had. And I’ve worked all my life to achieve that.”
Gazing up at the ancient structure after ascending it, he added: “I’ll try and take it all in, and then suddenly, the wind starts rushing through the trees.
“And the more I think about that, the more energy I’m feeling from this place. At this stage, I’m getting to a point where I’m thinking, how much longer can I be going?
Bal made a heartbreaking admission after they visited a Mayan temple(Image: BBC)
“You’ll start looking towards making funeral plans – never mind anything else. You get into that sort of thing where, ‘It’ll never happen to me now,’ and then suddenly it does. It’s fantastic. Now I’ve cancelled the funeral plans, by the way.”
Responding to the touching scene, one viewer posted: “Bal is already a national treasure. What a wonderful man #CelebrityRaceAcrossTheWorld #RaceAcrossTheWorld.”
Someone else commented: “Anita’s Dad though…a proper, lovely Northern star #CelebrityRaceAcrossTheWorld.”
A third wrote: “Anita’s dad is a sweetheart #celebrityraceacrosstheworld.
“Anita’s dad is golden. He needs protecting at all costs #CelebrityRaceAcrossTheWorld,” another person remarked.
Race Across the World continues Thursday on BBC One at 8pm.
