Paddy McGuinness collapsed live while presenting his Radio 2 show on Sunday when a listener read him a poem.
The TV personality, 51, confessed that a listener’s thoughtful words had “affected him” when dedicated fan Emma reminded him of her journey towards her next Children In Need challenge – a 300-mile bike ride. which will begin on Monday.
Presenting his regular Radio 2 show, Paddy received a call from a woman in Bedfordshire who revealed that she had written him a poem to cheer him up.
Taking the call, Paddy welcomed him to the program before asking him to share his poem.
Emma said: ‘Paddy, as you head to the patch, know that we have you back. Hopefully those meat pies have been avoided and you can stay the course. Some could go 300 miles in a helicopter is a crazy plan.
Paddy McGuinness collapsed live while presenting his Radio 2 show on Sunday when a listener read him a poem.
The TV personality, 51, confessed that a listener’s thoughtful words had “affected him” when dedicated fan Emma reminded him of her journey towards her upcoming Children In Need challenge.
‘But if anyone can do it, we know you can do it. We love your regular training updates: your sore butt, sore muscles, and various scrapes.
‘Ending up in a cow field, running out of tea, ice baths and a tender knee. Our Bolton boy with a heart of gold, a handsome chap, if we may be so bold. You’ve gone from coveting a helicopter as a child to cycling advice from Sir Chris Hoy.
“So from Wrexham to Scotland, here you come, everyone will whistle and cheer you on.” Keep selling rice, if you can enjoy the view and remember all those young lives that will be changed because of you.
Letting out an emotional sigh, Paddy shared his gratitude with the listener and revealed that he touched an emotional nerve.
He told the caller: ‘Emma, thank you so much for that. That got me a little bit. It’s so beautiful. Do you know what I love about that Emma?
“The fact that you were talking about things I had forgotten about myself.”
He then revealed that he forgot to get lost in the cow field.
Paddy grew up in Farnworth, Bolton with his mother who worked as a cleaner and his father who served in the army, before working in the scrap metal industry, then as a miner and finally as a lorry driver.
The comedian will embark on the Radio 2 Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge on Monday morning to raise money for the charity.
Paddy’s love of a vintage bicycle he coveted as a child inspired him to take on the mammoth task of cycling across the country for Children In Need (pictured cycling in Cheshire).
Although his parents gave him everything they could, Paddy said he remembers growing up desperately wanting certain things.
And one of them was a purple Chopper, his bike of choice for his charity ride across the UK.
He told the publication that when he was a child he received a BMX 2000 as a gift and although he has very fond memories of that bike, what he really wanted was a purple Chopper.
He said: “I remember thinking, ‘God, I would give my right arm for that bike.'” I became friends with it, borrowed it for a while and traded it for a Star Wars AT-AT (all-terrain armored transport) toy.’
And decades later, during the first Covid lockdown, to cheer himself up, Paddy bought the same bike he had wanted as a child for £400 on eBay.
And it’s his love for that vintage bicycle that inspired him to undertake the mammoth task of cycling across the country for Children In Need.
The comedian is embarking on the Radio 2 Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge to raise money for the charity.
Paddy will start Monday 11 November at Wrexham Football Club before traveling to Flintshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Westmorland, Cumbria, Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire finishing in Glasgow on Friday 15 November.
The presenter will ride in a bright yellow Chopper, with Pudsey Bear’s face on his frame for the endurance task.
Surprisingly, the star has not had the help of a personal trainer, and the only professional cycling advice he has received has been from Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy.
The cyclist revealed last month that his cancer had become terminal.
The star has not had the help of a personal trainer, and the only cycling advice he has received has been from Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy (pictured), who recently revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The six-time Olympic gold medalist, 48, shocked the sporting world when he revealed he would live with stage four cancer for “the rest of his life.”
But despite the difficult news, the athlete still loves cycling and has been helping his neighbor and friend Paddy with training.
The Take Me Out presenter explained that Sir Chris lives near him and reached out for help with his training.
And the rider was more than willing to oblige, promising to take Paddy on some “punishment rides” to prepare him.
He also advised the TV star to ride a bike every day just to get used to being in the saddle, because it can be painful to sit in the same position for so long.
And it seems Sir Chris has made it his personal mission to groom Paddy, with the star revealing he has done everything he can to help him.
He confessed: ‘He’s been looking for butt cream for me! I have to rub that on myself and the bib shorts I’m wearing.
“It feels horrible, but if you don’t have it on, you can’t walk for more than an hour or two because of the friction.”
As well as taking on the mammoth cycle, Paddy will tour the UK across the stage.
The tour will be the first in eight years and will end in April 2025.
Paddy McGuinness takes part in Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need – donate at www.bbc.co.uk/paddy