Jo Gardiner Dies: ‘Race Across The World’ Star Passes A Year After Son’s Death
Jo Gardiner, star of the second season of Race Across the World, has died. She was 61. Gardiner’s family said she died after a “long and courageous battle with cancer.” Her passing comes a year after her son, Sam, lost his life in a car crash in 2025. Jo and Sam competed together in Race […]
Jo Gardiner, a 61-year-old star of the second season of Race Across the World, has died after a long and courageous battle with cancer. According to her family, she passed away a year after her son Sam's death in a car crash in 2025.
Gardiner, a physiotherapist from Manchester, had competed in the BBC show with her son Sam in 2020. They travelled across South America, racing from Mexico City to Ushuaia in Argentina against four other pairs of contestants. Gardiner had wanted to experience a travel adventure with Sam, who had ADHD.
Her family described her as "one of a kind" who lived "fully, fiercely and never did anything by halves". They also said she had a rare gift for making everyone around her feel more alive and that she was "blessed with countless friends" due to her "extraordinary magnetism".
Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, BBC News — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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