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Gethin Jones choked back the tears on BBC Morning Live after being told that his 24-hour danceathon had raised £900,000 for Comic Relief.
He began his career on Welsh TV and eventually became a presenter on CBBC show Blue Peter in 2005, alongside Helen Skelton, Matt Baker, and Konnie Huq.
Gethin, 45, took on the challenge to raise the money by dancing for 24 hours straight while dressed as Pixar character Mr. Incredible.
Throughout the morning, he was given regular updates about how much money he’d raised and was joined by several other guest dancers along the way.
By the end, he was joined by colleagues and friends and, while sporting a pair of golden sparkly trousers, completed the danceathon while still standing.
Gethin then had to fight back tears while explaining how privileged he was to have taken part in the challenge and raised so much money.
Gethin had to wipe away a few tears after being told he’d raised over £900,000 (Picture: BBC)
He told the BBC: ‘This celebrations sums it up. All the messages overnight have been phenomenal. I can’t quite believe what we’ve raised for Comic Relief.’
It was at this point that Gethin began to cry as he said: ‘It’s going to change lives. It’s going to save lives. I’ve said it all along, I’m so proud.’
A member of the studio audience remarked that Gethin was still hopping from one foot to the other, unable to stop dancing even after the challenge had finished.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, before the challenge, Gethin said: ‘As a kid I’d busk on the street for Comic Relief and raise money, so being asked to do one of their big challenges is a real privilege.’
He added: ‘Dancing is fun but being awake for 24 hours is a challenge. Moving for 24 hours… back, ankle injuries, all of those things might come back into it.’
Back in 2007, Gethin took part in Strictly Come Dancing, reaching the semi-final and eventually finishing third with partner Camilla Dallerup.
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Since 2016, he has been a reporter for Strictly Come Dancing supplementary show It Takes Two, and says his experience on the dancing programme helped him prepare for the 24-hour danceathon.
‘I remember training for that would be eight, nine hours a day on your feet and it was really tough. I lost like a stone-and-half doing Strictly in three months.’
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