
Sam Thompson breaks down in tears as Pete Wicks surprises him in sweet reunion
Made In Chelsea star, Sam Thompson, took off on a mammoth 260-mile endurance challenge for UNICEF on Monday on foot and by bike from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford
Sam Thompson burst into tears when he saw his best pal, Pete Wicks, cheering him on during his epic challenge for UNICEF this week. The Made In Chelsea star, 31, took off on a mammoth 260-mile endurance feat for Soccer Aid on Monday on foot and by bike from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford.
Sam is seen covered in sweat, limping, with his knee bandaged up, Sam can't control his emotions as he clocks Pete, 36, who rushes over to give his friend a huge hug. Visibly stunned, the I'm A Celebrity winner begins to cry and splutters: "Thank you so much for coming," Pete says: "Don't be silly. As if I was never not going to come. I'm so proud of you. You're smashing it!" Sam concedes: "I'm not smashing it" to which Pete insists "You are smashing it! Are you still going? Well then you're smashing it." However, heartbreakingly, Sam then says: "I'm not the guy, man." Hugging his friend even tighter, Pete says: "You are the guy. You were the guy before this started and you're the guy now."
Sam took the first steps of his gruelling Match Ball Mission for Soccer Aid for UNICEF challenge on Monday as he aimed to run and cycle 49 miles from West London to Milton Keynes on day one.
He was joined on the start line by I'm A Celebrity…Unpacked co-host Joel Dommett, as well as his sister Louise Thompson, her partner Ryan Libbey and their son, Leo.
Speaking on Monday, Sam, who made his debut playing for England at Soccer Aid for UNICEF last year, told the charity: "I had no sleep last night, I'm absolutely terrified but I know I just need to keep my head in the game and remember why I'm doing this.
"It's all for UNICEF and to raise as much money as possible so I'm going to dig deep and get on with it and look forward to a hot shower at the end."
Meanwhile, Louise said: "Sam's such a happy, entertaining person, I've never seen him do something that will require so much resilience and endurance. I'm so proud of him, he's put so much work in and it's all for an incredible cause and will help so many children.
"I'm waving him off at the beginning and I'll be seeing him at the end, that's all the support he needs from me."
Sam's nationwide challenge will see him tackle five back-to-back endurance days – running five marathons and cycling more than 130 miles.
He still has three day to go as heads north towards the final whistle in Old Trafford, Manchester on Friday 6 June. His mammoth mission will be captured for a one-off special documentary: Sam Thompson 's Match Ball Mission Friday 13th June 9pm on ITV.
The reality star has had a challenging year after splitting up with his girlfriend, Zara McDermott, and navigating life as a singleton. Sam is now rumoured to be dating Love Island's Samie Elishi.
Zara, meanwhile is loved up with One Direction's, Louis Tomlinson, after sources said that she and and Sam broke up because they 'wanted different things out of life'.
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Sam Thompson embraces sister as he ends 260-mile run and cycle for Soccer Aid
The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, embraced his sister, Louise Thompson, as well as her partner Ryan Libbey, and nephew Leo as he hopped over the finish line in Manchester on Friday morning. TV presenter Will Best spoke to Thompson live on ITV's This Morning and revealed that his Match Ball Mission has so far raised £1,516,433.22 for humanitarian aid organisation Unicef. A post shared by Sam Thompson (@samthompsonuk) Thompson said: 'I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone was going to turn up. 'Thank you so much to everyone being here, everyone who has donated as well, I'll say it a million times, I'm made of glass, it's all the heroes who donate and stuff, you are so heroic.' The I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! winner faced a calf injury during the challenge and could be seen limping as he crossed the finish line. The TV star had travelled from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, the location of last year's Soccer Aid match in aid of Unicef, to Manchester United's Old Trafford home, which is hosting the 2025 game that Thompson is due to play in. Here he is! 5 days and over 260 miles on foot and bike! Over 1 million raised and so close to that finish line at Old Trafford ⚽️ Go on Sam!@itv @socceraid @samthompsonuk #MatchBallMission #Corrie — Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) June 6, 2025 Thompson's challenge saw him make pit stops at several football stadiums including MK Dons' Stadium MK, Aston Villa's Villa Park, and Everton's Goodison Park. His final day saw him travel through Huyton, Warrington, Sale, Stretford and the Coronation Street cobbles with friends, family and fans cheering him across the finish line. His experience is documented in a one-off programme titled Sam Thompson's Match Ball Mission that will air on Friday June 13 at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. The money raised from the challenge will support Unicef's work, including providing clean water and nutrition, for children around the world.

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Sam Thompson embraces sister as he ends 260-mile run and cycle for Soccer Aid
The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, embraced his sister, Louise Thompson, as well as her partner Ryan Libbey, and nephew Leo as he hopped over the finish line in Manchester on Friday morning. TV presenter Will Best spoke to Thompson live on ITV's This Morning and revealed that his Match Ball Mission has so far raised £1,516,433.22 for humanitarian aid organisation Unicef. Thompson said: 'I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone was going to turn up. 'Thank you so much to everyone being here, everyone who has donated as well, I'll say it a million times, I'm made of glass, it's all the heroes who donate and stuff, you are so heroic.' The I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! winner faced a calf injury during the challenge and could be seen limping as he crossed the finish line. The TV star had travelled from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, the location of last year's Soccer Aid match in aid of Unicef, to Manchester United's Old Trafford home, which is hosting the 2025 game that Thompson is due to play in. Here he is! 5 days and over 260 miles on foot and bike! Over 1 million raised and so close to that finish line at Old Trafford ⚽️ Go on Sam!@itv @socceraid @samthompsonuk #MatchBallMission #Corrie — Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) June 6, 2025 Thompson's challenge saw him make pit stops at several football stadiums including MK Dons' Stadium MK, Aston Villa's Villa Park, and Everton's Goodison Park. His final day saw him travel through Huyton, Warrington, Sale, Stretford and the Coronation Street cobbles with friends, family and fans cheering him across the finish line. His experience is documented in a one-off programme titled Sam Thompson's Match Ball Mission that will air on Friday June 13 at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. The money raised from the challenge will support Unicef's work, including providing clean water and nutrition, for children around the world.

Leader Live
an hour ago
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Sam Thompson embraces sister as he ends 260-mile run and cycle for Soccer Aid
The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, embraced his sister, Louise Thompson, as well as her partner Ryan Libbey, and nephew Leo as he hopped over the finish line in Manchester on Friday morning. TV presenter Will Best spoke to Thompson live on ITV's This Morning and revealed that his Match Ball Mission has so far raised £1,516,433.22 for humanitarian aid organisation Unicef. A post shared by Sam Thompson (@samthompsonuk) Thompson said: 'I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone was going to turn up. 'Thank you so much to everyone being here, everyone who has donated as well, I'll say it a million times, I'm made of glass, it's all the heroes who donate and stuff, you are so heroic.' The I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! winner faced a calf injury during the challenge and could be seen limping as he crossed the finish line. The TV star had travelled from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, the location of last year's Soccer Aid match in aid of Unicef, to Manchester United's Old Trafford home, which is hosting the 2025 game that Thompson is due to play in. Here he is! 5 days and over 260 miles on foot and bike! Over 1 million raised and so close to that finish line at Old Trafford ⚽️ Go on Sam!@itv @socceraid @samthompsonuk #MatchBallMission #Corrie — Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) June 6, 2025 Thompson's challenge saw him make pit stops at several football stadiums including MK Dons' Stadium MK, Aston Villa's Villa Park, and Everton's Goodison Park. His final day saw him travel through Huyton, Warrington, Sale, Stretford and the Coronation Street cobbles with friends, family and fans cheering him across the finish line. His experience is documented in a one-off programme titled Sam Thompson's Match Ball Mission that will air on Friday June 13 at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. The money raised from the challenge will support Unicef's work, including providing clean water and nutrition, for children around the world.