UPDATE: |BBC Race Across the World’s Yin opens up about partner death as she competes with ex-husband News

Yin will be taking part in the race with her ex-husband Gaz months after the death of her partner

BBC’s Race Across the World is back with a fresh new set of contestants, including Yin who opened up about the death of her partner Chris before joining the show.

The BAFTA-award winning series is set to return to BBC iPlayer and BBC One for its fifth series on 23rd April. The teams will battle it out in the hopes of winning an impressive £20,000.

The Great Wall of China is the starting point of this year’s epic race. Five teams must navigate three of Asia’s most diverse nations, China, Nepal and India, in a race of over 14,000km to reach the finish line, Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India.

The teams include: sisters, Elizabeth and Letitia; former married couple, Yin and Gaz, brothers, Brian and Melvyn; teenage couple, Fin and Sioned and mother and son, Caroline and Tom.

The BBC described: “Racing across vast distances without smartphones or bank cards, and armed only with cash equating to the cost of flying the route, our teams will be pushed to their absolute limits.”

When asked why she wanted to participate in this series, Yin replied: “I think it came from me. I saw the advert, and in that moment thought, you know what? I really want to do that. The last year has been quite a personal journey for me. Gaz and I, although we used to be married, we’ve been separated for about three years. And then when we split up, I found another partner, but he passed away suddenly in September.”

She admitted: “The last year has been tough, but one of the things that Chris gave me was a real sense of adventure, and he really liked traveling. We talked a lot about traveling and so when this came along I thought why not, something inside me made me fill out the application form.”

After convincing former husband Gaz to take part with her, Yin shared: “I definitely see it like a gift from Chris, I know he’s gone, but I do think that he has had a meddling hat in this.

“He would be laughing hysterically but also cheering us on, wishing he was there, seeing all the different things and getting the new experiences. This whole process so far has also been a vehicle for us to talk about when we were married, but in a really nice way.”

While staying with Gaz during her grieving period, Yin revealed that she hopes Race Across the World will encourage her to move onto the next stage.

She said: “I’ve been staying with Gaz for coming up to a year now so I know that at some stage in the future, I need to move out. We’re not married. And I think, what I’m hoping is that I’ll gain in confidence, and that race will show that we can always rely on each other and that Gaz is always going to be there as a safety net and a support.”

Series 4 of the popular BBC show saw Alfie Watts and Owen Wood take home the prize as they were the first to make it to the final destination.

Mother and daughter duo Eugenie and Isabel finished in second place after arriving to the checkpoint a mere eight minutes after the best friends.

Race Across the World starts at 9pm on April 23rd on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.