Race Across The World contestant Jo Gardiner dies aged 61 just one year after her co-star son was killed in a car crash

Published: 10:14 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 14:38 BST, 24 August 2026

Race Across The World star Jo Gardiner has died, a year after her co-star son Sam was killed in a car crash.

Ms Gardiner died on Friday, August 21 at the age of 61 following 'a long and courageous battle with cancer', her family said in a statement today. The physiotherapist, from Manchester, was 'an intrepid adventurer, brave, kind, witty and endlessly loving', they added.

Her son Sam, who she adopted with her ex-husband Andrew, died in June last year at the age of 24 after his Volkswagen came off the road and rolled before landing on its side. 

The mother and son duo competed in the BBC's global travel competition during its second series in 2020, journeying across South America together and finishing in fourth place. 

The family's statement continued: 'She had a rare gift for making everyone around her feel more alive. She lived fully, fiercely and never did anything by halves.

'She was blessed with countless friends, drawn to her extraordinary magnetism. Somehow, each one felt as though they were among her very best.

'To us, she was more than all of these things. She was our family, our joy, our safe place and our absolute treasure.

Race Across The World star Jo Gardiner has died, a year after her co-star son Sam was killed in a car crash (pictured together on the show) 

'We know how deeply Jo was loved, and we take comfort in knowing that her laughter, her courage, her kindness and her wonderfully outrageous spirit will live on in the many people whose lives she touched.

'As we grieve, we ask for privacy, but we also ask everyone who knew and loved Jo to do exactly what she would have wanted: tell the funny stories, raise a glass, have an adventure, laugh loudly and live life to the full.

'She was one of a kind. There will never be another her.'

The news was also confirmed on the BBC show's social media accounts, with a statement paying tribute to 'the matriarch' of the cast.

'On behalf of the Studio Lambert production team, the BBC and the whole Race Across The World cast, we offer our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Jo's son Charlie, and her wider family and friends,' the post read.

'Following the tragic death of Jo's son Sam last year, we paid tribute to how integral Sam and Jo had been to series two.'

Source: Read the original article on www.dailymail.com