Welsh Race Across the World couple Fin and Sioned's relationship, background and health battle

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Welsh Race Across the World couple Fin and Sioned's relationship, background and health battle
The Carmarthenshire couple are the youngest participants to take part in the BBC travel programme
Race Across the World's Welsh couple Fin and Sioned have seen their fair share of challenges on the journey but have remained strong
(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert )
Flying the Welsh flag for this series of Race Across the World are Fin and Sioned.
The Carmarthenshire couple are the youngest participants to take part in the BBC travel programme, and alongside the other teams, they have travelled through China, Nepal and are now in India as they head to the southernmost tip of the country - Kanyakumari. The young couple have seen their fair share of obstacles, as well as highs and lows along the way, but the pair are seemingly determined to make it to the finishing line first and win the cash prize of £20,000.
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Ahead of Wednesday evening's final episode of the series, we've taken a closer look at the couple - who they are, where they are from, how they have overcome issues and their journey so far. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
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Who are they?
As mentioned, Fin and Sioned, who are 18 and 19 years old, are the youngest ever contestants on the show.
Speaking ahead of the first episode's airing, Sioned said: "I wanted to travel anyway, so it's a great start for that, but along with discovering more about myself and Fin, just strengthening that bond in a very real and authentic way.
"We've not really been together just the two of us before so this is something where we will have to rely and depend on each other, we don't have another choice.
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"A lot about self-discovery I think as well as seeing more of the world in the process."
Fin added: "It's a way to see if me and her can be together basically, if it can work forever. A challenge to see if it will make or break us." You can read more of the interview here.
Fin and Sioned are the youngest contestants on BBC's Race Across the World
(Image: BBC )
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The couple are childhood sweethearts and have been together for four and a half years.
They originally entered the competition after Sioned's mother suggested that she take part in the competition with her brother, although in the end she decided to take her boyfriend instead.
She said: "They love the show themselves and they're very sad to see me go, but they know it's an insane opportunity and want me to really go for it."
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Where are they from?
The couple are from Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire.
It is evident that the two are very proud of their background and even discussed missing home during the series.
On a beautiful beach in Zhuhai, a city located on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong in China, during the second episode, the two began talking about Wales, specifically about the "beautiful beaches" of home near St David's and Barafundle Bay.
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Sioned and her boyfriend Fin were sat on a beautiful beach in Zhuhai as the couple began to reflect on their journey and how they felt about home
(Image: BBC )
While the two spoke about the calamity of their travels, Fin said: "Where me and Sioned are from, our local train station only has two platforms. Even then, we still have to ask someone which platform it is.
"So to be in a train station where there's 24 platforms, it's in Mandarin, it's absolutely unbelievably hard for us."
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Sioned later added: "I like going to beaches and stuff when I'm home. It's just like quite nice for me to just be able to just stop for a minute and have that, like home feeling maybe."
Fin then asked her: "How are you feeling about not being like not being able to speak to your mum?"
Sioned became emotional as she discussed her homesickness
(Image: BBC )
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To which Sioned began to cry. Later, Fin asked her: "What is it that you miss?"
In response, she said: "That familiarity, I like to have that. I don't like being away from everyone we know and basically just having each other."
Fin then asked: "Do you regret it?" To which Sioned replied: "No, I know I need to do it."
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But then Sioned seemed to have a change of heart about her homesickness and realised where she really wanted to be.
She later said: "It's speaking and thinking about home, I don't like it, because I know like, as much as I feel like I want to be home now, I definitely don't.
"If I was home, I would want to be here. Just trying to adapt to China, trying to adapt to a language, adapt to the people. Trying to build up my confidence to be a bit more risky."
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Fin's medical issues
While the two may be young, they have evidently been through a lot - not just on the race, but in their personal lives too.
In a candid moment in the sixth episode, Fin opened up about his tough childhood with type one diabetes and then explained what doctors found in his head.
It had been a tough start in their first leg of the race in India, with Fin and Sioned lagging behind in the competition.
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While Sioned found the hustle and bustle of the country quite stressful, Fin was continuously supportive through the journey.
Sioned said: "He's the most resilient person I know and I don't think he understands like, how much he has has actually gone through."
Fin broke down in tears as he discussed his tough childhood growing up with type one diabetes.
(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert )
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Fin explained: "There are bits in India which I find hard, but if Sioned finds it hard, I just try and stay positive, and I do definitely think I'm a little bit more resilient."
However, the couple were able to turn things around and in the sixth episode, the couple were able to keep a good pace on their journey.
While working to save more money for their tight budget, Fin discussed his upbringing.
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He said: "Growing up for me, I realised, life isn't perfect and things happen."
Fin then went on to discuss how he was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was 11, after his mother found him unresponsive on the sofa.
She then took him to the doctors where he found out he had the condition.
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He said: "It was a week in intensive care, then it was a week in just children's ward. Quite a lot for 11, I think.
"Being diabetic there's a lot of complications that can come with it, you know, in your eyes, and I think my eyes are already going a little bit, and obviously, only being 18, it's not something you really want to think about, I don't think, but it's something you've got to think about."
He also shared that two years after his diagnosis, they discovered that he had a tumour in his head.
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Fin explained: "I had surgery then, in my head, cause they found out what it was, but that was horrific. Being rushed up to a bigger hospital, this is not good. Obviously, you think you're going to die."
The 18-year-old then broke down as he said he was fine now.
He continued: "Now, I don't take anything for granted and this race is hard, but I'm just really trying to enjoy it, and so far I am and it's something I'll look back to and think, I'm so proud I did that."
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This isn't the first time Fin has opened up about his struggle with diabetes. In fact, since the series has aired he has been raising awareness and has spoken openly on social media about how it impacted him whilst on the show.
The young couple from Carmarthenshire are now setting their sights on crossing the finishing line first
(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert )
When the pair were interviewed by Wales Online, Fin said: "It was definitely a challenge and I knew it was going to be a challenge, but obviously because I don't know what I was going to be doing the next day, and I have a long acting insulin.
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"So, I didn't know if I was going to be active the next day, how much to give of this long acting insulin because then I could just drop next day."
He continued: "It was a challenge that I definitely didn't think I would have been able to do a few years ago, but I'm very very glad I've done it now 100%. It was not easy."
Viewers can watch the final of Race Across the World on Wednesday, June 11, at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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