Race Across the World fans praised best friends Jo and Kush after Kush opened up about his anxiety and mental health struggles.
Two Race Across The World contestants have earned acclaim from viewers following a heartfelt revelation.
Best friends Jo and Kush are amongst the duos navigating through eight nations in the extraordinary challenge, working with a restricted budget, without smartphones, internet connectivity or bank cards, and thousands of miles from home.
The Liverpool pair have garnered significant admiration from audiences thus far, despite worries about how rapidly they’re depleting their £26 daily allowance.
And in Thursday’s instalment, as they travelled through Kazakhstan, audiences gained further understanding of their profound friendship.
After discussing his anxiety and his father’s passing, Kush shared: “Every day is difficult day, everyday is a struggle. You have bad days, good days, off days, but every day is hard. I’m trying to learn how to function under high stress,” reports the Mirror.
Becoming emotional, he continued to express his appreciation for Jo, saying: “In the past couple of days I’ve realised how much I value having Jo here.
“I just really appreciate the fact that Jo is always up for looking after me. I don’t think he understands the difference it makes. He’s my best mate.”
Wiping away tears, he added: “In this entire journey, I’ve got nothing, absolutely nothing at all but Jo, that is home.”
This follows Jo supporting Kush through his anxiety earlier in the series, as he struggled with his mental health and confessed he was finding things difficult, and subsequently thanked Jo for helping him through the evening.
He said: “Thanks for staying up with me last night. It actually made a big difference. I didn’t know if I’d be able to go to sleep. I just need my head to shut up for a minute. But you know how I get.”
Jo told the camera: “I do think Kush can be glass half empty, which is understandable since he has gone through a lot. I understand where that negative state comes from.
“I do let him rant, get it off his chest and then be like, ‘Ok, let’s look at this from a different point of view’.”
Speaking about their friendship back home, he went on: “When Kush is not feeling good, we link up and go off on walks, on bike rides, to the park to play footie, honestly any activity, as long as we’re doing something, I can tell it improves his mood.
“Kush means a lot to me, definitely, and I want to show him that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”
The pair were praised by viewers for their emotional intelligence, with one writing on X: “Swear to god Jo and Kush have me in tears each week. It’s so nice to see how caring they both are of each other. Nothing toxic, just understanding and supporting each other. I’d love to see them both win this.”
Another said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, Jo and Kush are the most likeable contestants in the entire history of #RaceAcrossTheWorld.”
“Jo and Kush are so lovely, such a great friendship and support,” a third wrote, as another said: “Kush what a man opening up showing #itsokaynottobeokay. Brave brave brave. Big and strong.”
Last week, Kush had opened up about his father’s death, who tragically died by suicide during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.
He bravely shared: “I remember the day he passed. It was lock down and it was a real big shock. He had really poor mental health and he took his own life. You never forget that shock factor.
“I still think about him all the time. Being on this journey has brought back little moments and I wish I could sort of show who I am now because when you’re 14, I didn’t know who I was and I was still a child.”
He became overwhelmed with emotion as he said: “I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and I feel like, if I could sort of show him what I’ve learnt…”
Race Across The World continues on Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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