{"id":46073,"date":"2024-02-16T15:52:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T14:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1993667"},"modified":"2024-02-16T17:32:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T16:32:28","slug":"pilgrimage-the-road-to-wild-wales-2024-cast-confirmed-celebrity-line-up","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/pilgrimage-the-road-to-wild-wales-2024-cast-confirmed-celebrity-line-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilgrimage: The Road to Wild Wales 2024 cast \u2013 Confirmed celebrity line-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven celebrities of different faiths and backgrounds will be heading to Wales this year for a personal journey. <\/p>

By Grace Henry\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 16 February 2024 at 14:52 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The BBC\u2019s Pilgrimage is back, with seven well-known personalities<\/a> of different faiths and beliefs taking on modern-day pilgrimage, this time along the North Wales Pilgrim\u2019s Way.<\/p>\n

Across the three-part series, the celebrities will go on a personal journey along a route that celebrates Celtic early Christian saints, with Bardsey Island the fabled \u2018island of 20,000 saints\u2019, just off the western tip of the Ll\u0177n Peninsula, as their final destination.<\/p>\n

Taking on the spiritual journey this year is former reality tv star turned entrepreneur Spencer Matthews<\/strong>, wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan<\/strong>, journalist and TV presenter Sonali Shah<\/strong>, comedian Eshaan Akbar<\/strong>, The Traitors star Amanda Lovett<\/strong>, actor Tom Rosenthal,<\/strong> and TV personality and former model Christine McGuinness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPilgrimage is a series like no other; getting into the heart and soul of who we are and what makes life meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll seven pilgrims embraced the journey wholeheartedly, with extraordinary honesty and generosity towards one another. It\u2019s inspiring, and thought-provoking, to watch,\u201d Daisy Scalchi, the BBC\u2019s head of religion and ethics for television, said.<\/p>\n

As they immerse themselves in the experience, read on for everything you need to know about the Pilgrimage 2024 line-up.<\/p>\n

Pilgrimage: The Road to Wild Wales 2024 cast \u2013 Confirmed celebrity line-up<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Spencer Matthews<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Spencer\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Spencer Matthews.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age:\u00a0<\/strong>35<\/p>\n

Job:<\/strong> Former reality TV star and entrepreneur<\/p>\n

Instagram:\u00a0<\/strong>@spencermatthews<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background: <\/strong>Christened Church of England still searching for answers to life\u2019s big questions<\/p>\n

Spencer Matthews is a former reality TV star turned entrepreneur, who is best known for appearing on Made in Chelsea from 2011 to 2015. He\u2019s now married to model Vogue Williams, with whom he has two children.<\/p>\n

Speaking of why he decided to go on this journey, Spencer said: \u201cA pilgrimage is when you walk and sleep on church floors and eat dead rats and stuff, which I\u2019m looking forward to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be pretty low in the faith knowledge bracket, but I\u2019m on a quest to broaden my knowledge and religious horizons. I\u2019m an open mind, an open book. I want to learn about different faiths, cultures and religions and develop a firm understanding of my faith and how it can potentially play a larger role in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christine McGuinness<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Christine\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Christine McGuinness.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age:\u00a0<\/strong>35<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>TV personality and former model<\/p>\n

Instagram:<\/strong> @mrscmcguinness<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background:<\/strong> Spiritual but doesn\u2019t practise a particular faith<\/p>\n

Christine McGuinness is a TV personality and former model. She appeared on ITVBe\u2019s The Real Housewives of Cheshire between 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n

She got married to presenter Paddy McGuinness in 2011 \u2013 however, the couple, who have three children, separated in 2022.<\/p>

Last year, Christine opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD and autism, revealing she now \u201cunderstands\u201d herself more, and it inspired her to take part in the BBC show.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince my autism diagnosis, it\u2019s really made me want to grab opportunities with both hands. I want to say yes to more things, things that I would always say no to, because I find socialising quite awkward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really like being pushed out of my comfort zone, but I\u2019m realising more and more that I want to live, I want to do more things, I want to have good memories, I want to make friends, I want to learn more about other people, and the only way I can do that is by pushing myself a bit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Michaela Strachan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Michaela\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Michaela Strachan.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age:\u00a0<\/strong>57<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>TV presenter<\/p>\n

Instagram: <\/strong>@strachan.michaela<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background: <\/strong>Michaela places her faith in the natural world<\/p>\n

Michaela Strachan is a TV presenter best known for her work on wildlife series such as Springwatch and Really Wild Show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this pilgrimage is going to be really good for me. These days we all tend to live busy, complicated lives, and what I love about walking is all you\u2019ve got to think about is putting one foot in front of the other. I find it very cathartic, it\u2019s my form of meditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a simplicity to just walking. Walking, thinking, taking time to connect with nature. I guess that\u2019s my form of spiritual engagement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Amanda Lovett<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Amanda\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Amanda Lovett.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age:\u00a0<\/strong>56<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>Reality TV star<\/p>\n

Instagram: <\/strong>@amanda_lovett25<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background:\u00a0<\/strong>Catholic<\/p>\n

Amanda Lovett is best known for taking part in the first season of The Traitors UK back in 2022.<\/p>\n

Speaking of why she decided to sign up for Pilgrimage, she said: \u201cThey say that if you go on a pilgrimage, there\u2019s a hope that by the end of it there will have been some sort of realisation, so I\u2019m looking forward to finding mine!<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have a strong Catholic faith. I still pray, and I believe there\u2019s an afterlife, but I\u2019m excited to explore other people\u2019s faiths and religions and how they view life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been the mum, the gran, the worker, and I sort of forgot about me. I\u2019ve done school runs for 32 years, and I\u2019ve found my time now. I\u2019m looking forward to learning about myself, digging deep and processing and seeing how I\u2019ll evolve in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eshaan Akbar<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"Eshaan\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Eshaan Akbar.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age: <\/b>39<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>Reality TV star<\/p>\n

Instagram: <\/strong>@eshaanakbar<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background: <\/strong>Lapsed Muslim<\/p>\n

Eshaan Akbar is a comedian, writer and actor. He is of Pakistani and Bangladeshi ancestry and described himself as a \u201clapsed Muslim\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy am I doing this pilgrimage? I\u2019ll be honest, I think it\u2019ll be fun, believe it or not. I\u2019m not a great fan of walking without a purpose, I don\u2019t like hikes, I don\u2019t like going up and down different types of terrain, I don\u2019t like sleeping in uncomfortable situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy immigrant parents worked way too hard for me to start fetishising poverty by choosing to make my life too difficult. I\u2019m really looking forward to the experience but I can\u2019t promise that I won\u2019t moan for most of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sonali Shah<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Sonali\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Sonali Shah.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age: <\/b>43<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>TV and radio broadcaster<\/p>\n

Instagram:\u00a0<\/strong>@sonalishah<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background: <\/strong>Raised in a Jain household<\/p>\n

Sonali Shah is a British TV and radio broadcaster who currently presents Sunday Breakfast on Magic FM, as well as BBC television programme Escape to the Country.<\/p>\n

On Pilgrimage, she said: \u201cIt felt like the opportunity of going on a pilgrimage like this came at the right time in my life. I grew up in a liberal Jain, east African Indian household in north-west London, where faith, race and culture were very intertwined.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I have always been comfortable with who I am and the way I live, in recent years, with my kids asking more questions, I realised that using the word agnostic hasn\u2019t been quite right. I was also curious about what, if anything, I could add to the party as someone who was born into a faith that many people have never heard of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Rosenthal<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Comedian\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Tom Rosenthal.<\/span><\/figcaption> Instagram\/@rosengrams<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Age: <\/b>43<\/p>\n

Job: <\/strong>Actor and comedian<\/p>\n

Instagram: <\/strong>@rosengrams<\/a><\/p>\n

Religious background: <\/strong>\u201cAreligious\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Rosenthal is an actor and comedian, who is well-known for appearing on Channel 4\u2019s Friday Night Dinner. He refers to himself as \u201careligious\u201d.<\/p>\n

Asked why he decided to sign up for the BBC show, he said: \u201cI\u2019ve always been interested by anybody with any thoughts as to what it is we are all doing here. It\u2019s fairly confusing, and if I spend all my time watching Arsenal and the The Traitors I\u2019m never going to find out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDedicating myself to a pilgrimage for two weeks is a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon my spirituality and to make a TV show my grandmother will actually enjoy watching.\u201d<\/p>\n