Emma Willis, Rylan Clark and Oti Mabuse to climb mountain for Red Nose Day

The challenge will be captured as part of an upcoming documentary, Frozen: Emma, Oti and Rylan’s Red Nose Day Challenge.
Emma Willis, Rylan Clark and Oti Mabuse during training for their Red Nose Day challenge (Hamish Frost/Comic Relief/PA)
Connie Evans3 February 2023
The Weekender

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Emma Willis, Rylan Clark and Oti Mabuse are set to take on the challenge of climbing Scotland’s Cairn Gorm mountain for Red Nose Day, in aid of Comic Relief.

The trio’s adventure will be captured for a documentary, Frozen: Emma, Oti and Rylan’s Red Nose Day Challenge, which will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the run-up to Red Nose Day on March 17.

TV presenters Willis, 46, and Clark, 34, will join former Strictly Come Dancing judge Mabuse, 32, to traverse the unforgiving and subarctic terrain of the Cairngorms range in the Scottish Highlands.

Speaking ahead of embarking on the challenge, Willis said: “I said yes to taking on this Red Nose Day challenge for a couple of reasons. First one being when Comic Relief asks, you should always say yes.

“Second one is, I love to do things that take me out of my comfort zone and I kind of made a promise to myself at the beginning of this year that I was going to do the things that scare me.”

The trio – who will be equipped with ice axes and crampons – will spend three days and two nights trekking over the landscape of the Cairngorms National Park as they attempt to complete their task of reaching the summit of Cairn Gorm.

Working as a team, Willis, Clark and Mabuse will become entirely self-sufficient and take on wild camping and the ever-changing elements.

The three famous faces have travelled to Scotland to complete their training for the challenge, which will begin in the village of Braemar, in Aberdeenshire, on February 8.

Of the task, Clark said: “I’ve never been camping in my life. I’ve never slept in a tent. I have never worn camping attire. The only camping I do is camping it up on a Saturday night!

“I think the hardest part for me throughout this entire challenge is going to be the entire challenge. I’m not going to lie to myself – this isn’t what I’m used to, and this isn’t what I’d ever choose to do. But here I am, and I just hope I come out of it in one piece and don’t lose any veneers in the snow.

“I think what’s going to keep me going through the entire challenge is obviously the girls and knowing that we’re doing it for a great cause.

“The better we do, fingers crossed, the more money we raise. Knowing where the money will go is definitely going to be my motivation when I’m ready to chuck it all in and call the chopper.”

Mabuse added: “I love everything about Red Nose Day. It feels like the whole country is coming together to help one another out and I feel like in this day and age it’s so important that we actually help each other.

“The money that we will hopefully raise will help a lot of people. I come from a country where we need a lot of help and being in this situation – being able to help in some way – for me, is what I’ve been raised to do.”

Red Nose Day returns to BBC One on Friday March 17 with hosts AJ Odudu, David Tennant, Joel Dommett, Paddy McGuinness and Zoe Ball.

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