Sam Thompson opens up as sister praises bravery after 'horrendous break-up'
Hero Sam Thompson is expected to complete his UNICEF Soccer Aid challenge as he opens up to the Mirror about how much it means to him, as well an emotional Facetime with his sister Louise
Dosed up on painkillers, his body falling apart and always close to tears, Sam Thompson 's 260-mile Soccer Aid challenge has been no plain sailing.
The ex-Made in Chelsea star, 32, can barely walk – let alone run or cycle – after tearing his calf but is somehow expected to finish the five-day challenge today.
Disaster struck just a few kilometers from the end of day one's marathon when Sam felt a pop in his calf. He says: 'It was bad straight away. I couldn't walk or put barely any weight on it. I just burst into tears, as I thought how am I going to do the rest of this challenge? Letting people down just plays on my mind constantly.'
The next day he had longer on the bike to give his calf time to heal. But, incredibly, now he is back on his feet again although it is painful to watch.
He says: 'I'm really strapped up but I think it's getting worse. I'm mitigating with other bits of my body that are now starting to creak under the pressure. I've been running on my tiptoes but my ankles are now going which, in turn, leads to my knees going. I'm just trying not to think about it.'
Seeing a man, whose TV persona is like an excitable puppy, in such pain as he hobbles off each morning has been tough – especially for sister Louise, 35.
In an emotional Facetime call yesterday, she told him: 'You've been through a very tough six months regardless of training for this challenge, you've obviously been through this horrendous break-up and to throw yourself into something that is helping so many other people is just incredible.'
Sam split from Love Island star Zara McDermott after five years but is focused on raising money for Unicef and has smashed the £1million mark.
He admits: 'It's definitely been a year of change but having said that I am absolutely honoured to do something I've never done before and throw myself into this… and it's been a pleasure to be able to do this and hopefully it's onwards and upwards for the rest of the year, if we get to the end.'
Sam faced spells of torrential rain on an extended bike ride on day two, as well as his inner demons. He has been very open about his mental health, including a late autism diagnosis. But a succ-ession of famous friends have lifted his spirits on the journey from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge to Manchester Utd's Old Trafford to deliver a match ball ahead of the Soccer Aid game next Sunday. TV hosts Josie Gibson, Chris Hughes and Jamie Laing have supported him during the dark times. But his reunion and pep-talk with best mate Pete Wicks is especially spurring him on.
He says: 'I'm so blown away by people's generosity.
'It's all going to Unicef's work for kids around the world. I've seen it firsthand and know the difference it will make.'
Setting off yesterday on day four from Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Sam was expected to cover 57 miles, passing through Sandbach, Middlewich, Ellesmere Port, The Wirral, and Birkenhead before heading to Goodison Park in Liverpool. He will have the advice of running Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah uppermost in his mind.
Mo told him ahead of the challenge: 'Just put one foot in front of the other, and always believe in why you are doing it.'
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South Wales Guardian
20 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Sam Thompson embraces sister as he ends 260-mile run and cycle for Soccer Aid
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince Harry's 'nonsense' plan for kids amid 'nail in coffin' decision
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Sam Thompson in complete agony and breaks down in tears as he FINALLY completes gruelling Soccer Aid challenge and raises £1.5M for Unicef after battling horrendous injuries
Sam Thompson broke down in tears as he finally completed his gruelling Soccer Aid challenge, raising £1.5 million for Unicef. Despite suffering horrendous injuries, the Made In Chelsea star, 32, battled through agonising pain to complete the 260-mile journey to transport the Soccer Aid matchball from London's Stamford Bridge to Manchester's Old Trafford ground. Due to his injuries, Sam was advised by the medical team to complete larger parts of the journey by bike than planned, but it was on foot that he finally crossed the finish line on Friday. As Sam took the final steps, having been supported by many stars and celebrity pals along the way, he was embraced by his emotional sister Louise, her fiancé Ryan Libbey and their son Leo. The star then struggled to hide his shock as it was revealed he had raised £1,516,433 for Unicef during the five-day journey. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Speaking after completing the challenge, Sam said: 'My legs have completely gone but I feel good. I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone would turn up. 'To everyone who has donated, I've said it before but I'll say it a million times, you are so heroic. The money will help so many children, I'm so grateful.' Mere minutes after the challenge was finished, Sam's pal Pete Wicks shared a gushing tribute to him on Instagram Stories. Posting a snap of the moment he surprised him on Wednesday, he captioned the post: 'He f*****g did it! I couldn't be prouder, you have always been ''THE GUY''. Having started back at London's Stamford Bridge on Monday, Sam travelled to Stadium MK in Milton Keynes on the first day, where he suffered the nasty injury. On medics' advice, he then cycled on the second day to Villa Park in Birmingham, before setting off on Wednesday to reach Vale Park in Stoke-On-Trent. Setting off from there on Thursday, Sam then travelled to Liverpool's iconic Goodison Park, before heading to Old Trafford on the final day. As Sam kicked off the final day of his challenge, he was thrilled to hear a message of support from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. He's captured the attention of the nation during the grueling journey, after suffering a calf injury which has left him battling through agonising pain in order to complete his mission. Host Fleur East told Sam: 'We've got a very special message for you from the Prime Minister.' To which the elated star responded: 'Shut up! No you don't! The Prime Minister!' Sir Keir's message read: 'My message to him is he's doing a fantastic job. 'I've seen footage of him running including with that injury and I have to say its pretty inspiring and he's doing an absolutely incredible job - all tribute to him. 'We all applaud what he's doing, it's really hard work particularly with an injury and Soccer Aid is always good so I'll do everything to support him I can.' Sam was left in utter disbelief after hearing the message, describing it was 'one of the most mental things' he's ever seen. 'He knows my name! I can't imagine Sir Keir looking at my 'gram,' he added. That wasn't the last of the surprises however, with Sam also treated to words of support from a host of other stars including Diversity, Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford and even actor Olivia Colman. 'Sam, I've been watching your incredible challenge,' Peep Show star Olivia said. 'Wow! It looks so so tough and you are doing amazingly. Everyone at Unicef is behind you and I encourage everyone watching to support you and donate. Lots of love, you're amazing!' The final leg of Sam's brutal challenge saw him travel from Goodison Park in Liverpool to his final destination, Old Trafford in Manchester. With his leg in 'absolute pieces', the reality TV star completed the fourth leg of the mission on Thursday, travelling from Stoke-On-Trent to Merseyside. Speaking to MailOnline before he began, the Made In Chelsea star said: 'Today is a tough day. It's wet, it's cold, it's windy. My leg is in absolute pieces, but we go again. 'We passed the half-way point yesterday and it was such a great day. I've got to try and channel that mindset and spirit. 'Today is going to be one step in front of the other. Also, the fact that we have raised over £600,000 is keeping me going – that will warm anyone's soul! 'The love and outpouring from people has been so immense and I'm so glad people are donating to UNICEF's work for kids around the world. I've seen it firsthand and know the difference it'll make.' As he prepared to set off, Sam received yet another surprise from one of his close pals Josh 'JP' Patterson, who ran with him for the first part of Thursday. Josh said: 'I want to support my friend through possibly one of the most vulnerable experiences of his life, but he's doing it for the most wonderful cause. I want to help raise as much money as we can, so when he steps across the finish line, he knows he's given it every single ounce of himself. 'He's been phenomenal. For someone who doubts himself so much, I hope one of the things he takes from this challenge is ''he is the guy''!' After completing the race, the news was broken to the determined personality that he had already smashed the £1million mark. He responded: 'Yes!!! One milly baby!!! Come on!!! I'm so happy, thank you so much. I'm so grateful to literally everybody. 'I've said this before, I'll say it again. They are all the heroes, the people who are putting their hands in their pockets.' After completing the gruelling third day of his challenge, Sam was surprised with a motivational message from close pal Jamie Laing. After suffering in his own gruelling charity marathon, Jamie, 36, knew exactly how Sam was feeling as he reached the halfway mark. The BBC Radio 1 presenter had the whole nation behind him as he ran 30 miles for five consecutive days across the country in March, raising an incredible £2.3m. 'It's day three baby, it's the worst. It's the worst', Jamie laughed. Sam screamed: 'I can't move man! My Leg!' Jamie said: 'Listen, I've been there. I know how hard it is and your body is screaming for you to give up. Every single moment, you just keep going. One foot in front of the other, you don't stop.' Sam teared up: 'Seeing your face just then has literally just made my day. I remember watching you doing your runs and being like your an inspiration man. 'The fact that you're just giving me your energy and your time man, I'm so grateful.' Jamie said: 'You're doing the best thing ever, you're doing it for the best cause. Let's keep going, I adore you, I love you, everyone's behind you, you're the greatest.' 'You got this Sam!', Jamie's wife Sophie Habboo cheered in the background. Day three saw him set off from Villa Park, Birmingham and pass through Walsall, Cannock, Stafford and Stone on his way to Vale Park in Stoke-on-Trent. The 'you can!' refers to a now infamous Made In Chelsea scene where Zara begs for Sam back after cheating on him during her time on Celebrity X Factor in 2019 Pete Wicks hilariously parodied Sam's ex Zara McDermott's famous 'you can!' moment from Made In Chelsea as he supported him on his challenge on Wednesday. The 'you can!' refers to a now iconic Made In Chelsea scene where Zara begs for Sam back after cheating on him during her time on Celebrity X Factor in 2019. Zara and Sam then split for good earlier this year - with the former Love Island now moving on with One Direction star Louis Tomlinson. In a video shared on Pete and Sam's Staying Relevant podcast TikTok page Pete is seen screaming 'you can!' at Sam - sending him into fits of giggles on his bike. The sign read: 'You can do it... YOU CAAAN!' as Pete shouted it in the same tone that Zara had as she insisted that Sam could forgive her for her infidelities all those years ago. Earlier in the day Sam broke down in tears as pal Pete surprised him to mark half way of his 'intensely painful' challenge. Sam, who sustained a 'significant' injured his calf earlier in the week, threw his arms around his friend, 37, before telling MailOnline the reunion 'made his day'. As Pete strolled up, Sam became overwhelmed to see the friendly face amid day three of him cycling and running another whopping 49 miles. Before setting off on Monday, Pete shared a gushing tribute to his pal on Instagram writing: 'Tomorrow this man embarks on a mental and physical challenge for an amazing cause' The TV star was given the task to travel a mammoth 260-mile journey on both bike and foot to deliver the match ball to its new home in Old Trafford, with the hope of raising much-needed funds for Unicef. He told MailOnline: 'Seeing Pete half way made my day. The pain is so intense but this has put a smile on my face'. Before adding: 'Please donate if you can, I'm so grateful for all the support'. On Tuesday, Sam was joined by his pal Chris Hughes for the second day of his endurance challenge. And Chris' new girlfriend JoJo Siwa made sure to send her support to the star as she sent him a motivational message. Appearing on Hits Radio, the singer, 22, told Sam: 'No matter what burn yourself out, burn those little legs out, keep it pushing!' 'You're gonna be proud if you do it. In five days from now you are either going to be really proud or you're gonna be like 'Damn I probably could have done it if I had tried a little harder. So don't have that regret.' During an appearance on Tuesday's This Morning, Chris joined Sam for part of the cycle, hours after suffering a nasty calf injury. As Sam looked visibly downcast, Chris told viewers: 'He's emotional, he's upset and it's tough because he's got to go again and it's relentless. 'I was saying when we were going around I've so much admiration for you Sam because I'm struggling with this... knowing that I'm going to stop in a minute and Sam has to carry on this amazing journey, raising so much money, it's warrior like... 'Please donate because Sam is going through the wringer here, I've seen the tears, I've seen the grit and the determination - keep supporting the boy!' Before setting off on Monday, Pete shared a gushing tribute to his pal on Instagram writing: 'Tomorrow this man embarks on a mental and physical challenge for an amazing cause @Unicef.' 'Mate I couldn't be prouder of you as a friend, a brother and as a man. You are gonna push yourself to the limit and I can't wait to watch you complete this f**king mammoth task. I know how much work you've put in and I know you're doing it for the right reasons'. He continued: 'Just so you know, you're doing it with every single one of your friends and family right behind you. I hope the nation follows your journey and helps you along the way in donations and support. You are an inspiration to me and many others and I admire the man you've become this year more than any other year I've known you. Good luck brother, you've got this' Still battling forwards with an injured calf and given the green light by the medical team, the reality star was determined to complete the challenge. He said: 'This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I now have to accept that I've done damage to my calf and running is very difficult'. 'But I can and will carry on, not matter what, on two feet and two pedals, I'm still going to get there and get across the finish line on Friday. It's just going to be longer, harder but my reason for doing it still hasn't changed. I really hope people are digging deep for UNICEF, seeing what I'm trying to do and are getting behind this challenge.' Speaking about Sam's injury, on the road physio, Gary Lewin said: 'Sam has got a significant injury to his calf. We tried to take the weight off of it yesterday by giving him a bike day and in the afternoon he said it felt better, so we tried a bit of walking'. 'He can't put much weight on it. My advice today is we're going to start out with a walk today and then cycle and see how we get on. He's in safe hands and medical advice is he can continue'.
