Interview: Tyler West and Molly Rainford on Celebrity Race Across the World
Swapping luxury for backpacks and comfort for the unknown, the four celebrity duos embarking on the ultimate adventure are: Broadcaster and writer Anita Rani and her dad, Bal; actor Dylan Llewellyn and his mum, Jackie; partners, presenter and DJ Tyler West and actor and singer, Molly Rainford and broadcaster Roman Kemp and his sister, singer- songwriter, Harleymoon.This series takes the race through one of the most diverse and visually stunning routes yet, spanning the undiscovered Caribbean and Pacific coast of Central America.The journey begins on the idyllic Caribbean Island of Isla Mujeres, the most eastern point of Mexico and challenges teams to race 5,900km to reach the finish line in the remote and breathtaking Península de La Guajira in Colombia – the gateway to South America.
Why did you want to take part in the series?Molly: We haven't done any kind of travelling like this before. We always stick to our comfort zone, all inclusive, just one location. This will be a new experience.Tyler: It feels like we've been together years and years but to do something like this would take our relationship to the next level and bring us closer together.Why did you decide to do it together?Molly: I think it was just a no brainer to do it together - we're so comfortable with each other, we already live together, so we know we can do that. We have nothing to hide from each other.Tyler: We live busy lives. We're sometimes passing ships, I would love to experience this with my best friend, my person. I think I would struggle more doing it without Molly.Would you say that you're both quite adventurous?Molly: I feel like we are, but we are within our means.Name the top three home comforts you'll struggle to live without?Tyler: Biscuits. Biscoff biscuits.Molly: My phone of course.Tyler: My air fryer, Biscoff biscuits and phone.Has being public figures impacted the way that you travel?Tyler: It has and it hasn't. We prefer to go to locations where you can properly relax, as opposed to having to be switched on all the time as Tyler and Molly from whatever job, but we love meeting and chatting to people so we’re easy!Molly: Rather than super touristy locations where you've got so many sites to visit, we usually just want to switch off and be horizontal.How competitive are you? Are you in this to win this?Molly: Very competitive, me more than Tyler.Tyler: I’m more of a team player. I mean, that’s sort of how our relationship started when you kicked me off Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve never lived it down.Molly: I'm excited to be on the same team for once.Tyler: I feel like it's a powerful duo that will be underestimated.How do you feel about travelling without a mobile phone or credit cards?Molly: Concerned.Tyler: I feel like we're going to fall into a bit of a panic that we can’t just Google it, but then we will soon realise that actually, there's a way around this.Molly: I think initially it'll be the panic of your comfort blanket being taken away.What will be your biggest challenges during this trip? Tyler: I think it's not being in control, not knowing where you're going to stay, how you’re going to get there, or what's the correct decision to make. I think the decision making is going to be hard. I think the thing that I will find the easiest is being able to make light of a situation, just have a laugh along the way. No matter how stressful life can get, you can always put a smile on your face and have a laugh.Molly: It's the unknown. That will be the biggest challenge.What roles do you think you'll take in this race?Tyler: We will share the roles. Even though we've got our strengths, like I can talk to anyone…Molly: I can take a bit more time to warm up…Tyler: Molly is amazing at directions and leading in that way. It's a nice balance. I'll protect the passports at all costs, but I'm hoping that we will mix it up and it’ll help us develop as individuals and together.Molly: I need to be better at decision making, so I know Tyler will definitely push me.Tyler: I need to chill out and not be in planning mode.Have you watched previous series and picked up any tips at all?Molly: One thing that really stood out to us, that I keep thinking about is when in a previous series, Alex got to a bus station and he hadn't changed the time on his watch, so he thought the bus had already gone, but it was actually on time, but he got a later bus because of it. We need to remember that were going through multiple places, and there could be different time zones in those places, that's one thing that's really stood out.Are there any teams from previous series that have inspired you to do this at all, celebrity or otherwise? Molly: I think Kola and his cousin Mary Ellen did. When they stayed at the hostel and had a really fun time, even though it caused them to lose some time, it was nice to see them enjoying the experience, and when she went up and danced on the stage - it's about balancing race and experience.
What's your strategy going into this?Tyler: I think it depends how comfortable we feel when we first get on the ground, but it could be that we’ll either take a step back and have an overarching plan of where we're going to go, or it's just get on the floor and run 10k in one direction.Molly: I feel like we’re going be there for the experience in the first few legs. And then when we get close to the end, it's game face.Have you packed anything for this trip that you can't live without?Molly: We’re bringing Uno, it’s an essential to pass the time.Tyler: Also an iPod, or an old school nano, we can't live without music.Would you say that you cope well during a crisis? Are you calm under pressure?Molly: Ithink it depends how the other reacts. If I panic, Tyler's good at keeping it contained. And I think vice versa.Tyler: It kind of depends on the other person's reaction. It also depends what percentage I'm on in terms of hunger, because I might just be panicking anyway.What's the rest of your family think of you doing this?Tyler: They’re really proud of us.Molly: They're really excited. I think they just can't wait to see what we get up to. We've both worked since we were young, so we've not done anything like this before. We've never had a gap year, so I think they're just excited for us to have that time.What will be the most surprising things viewers will learn about you both? Tyler: I think people always see us as Tyler and Molly from Strictly or I listen to Tyler's radio show, or I watch Molly on Eastenders. But actually they’ll see what we’re like at home - we have a laugh. It's like that other side to our relationship that we've never been able to showcase through our work, because our works always been about the show or the character.Molly: I hope that we are actually what you see on screen. I hope that that really translates, because we don't feel like we change.Molly, is there an annoying habit of Tyler's that you can tell us about that might bother you during the trip and vice versa?Molly: Tyler's sense of direction is not great, and he's also a little bit stubborn, because there have been times when I definitely know I'm correct in the scenario, but he can't let it go.Tyler: Yeah, okay I completely get it. Sometimes Molly's annoyingly right, so if I'm 99.9% sure this is the direction that 0.01% is Molly, and she's right, and it's the most frustrating thing in the world. I'm glad that she's on my team.She’s right I am stubborn. I don't let it go, but she’ll always say I told you so. And that doesn't change the situation. Also she’s a bit loud!Are there any stories that stick out from times that you've travelled together before?Molly: He’s too relaxed at the airport. I’m the type of person who, if the gate comes up, I have to go straight away. I'm like, gate's up now and he's like - it won't leave without us... and I'm like, Yes, it will!Tyler: When it says the gate is closing, that's the time to be finishing up your pint and heading over.If there's one thing that you hope this race will change about you, your relationship, what would it be?Molly: I, I think for me, personally, I hope I get a bit more confident in my decision making and trust myself a bit more. I think for us, it’s the idea if we can do race across the world together, we can do anything together which is really exciting.Tyler: I need to learn to take my foot off the gas and not have any distractions.Where would be your dream destination to race through?Tyler: I would always say somewhere hot, because whenever its cold, Molly shuts down and can’t operate. If there's a slight draft in the flat, she's putting the heating on, even though she's in full on pyjamas, dressing gown and blanket…Molly: Anywhere hot and anywhere that has a beach and a nice sunset.Tyler: There's so many places in the world we haven't seen so I feel like we're really open, and we're just excited to explore a different culture.What's it like to be in a famous relationship - is that going to change the way you travel on the race? Do you think it will help you?Tyler: We’re probably going to a place where no-one will know us. It still catches us off guard if anybody ever recognises us on the street, because we're just happy to be here. I think the pressure is definitely on sometimes in normal life because you can't just operate the same way that you used to.Molly: We're really excited because, like we said, we're pretty open about each other, open about our relationship. I think it's nice for people to have that lens, to show everyone that we are who we say we are, and also that we are in a normal relationship, and we are going to bicker, and we are going to have to make tough decisions on the race, but ultimately, we are going to have the most fun.