Inside Alex Beresford's difficult blows - sad death, lonely at 40, and Piers row

27 October 2023 , 11:22

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Inside Alex Beresford's difficult blows - sad death, lonely at 40, and Piers row

Good Morning Britain's weatherman Alex Beresford and his dad Noel embarked on the adventure of a lifetime on BBC One's Celebrity Race Across the World and nabbed first place in the final this week, reaching the last checkpoint in Tromso, Norway, four minutes before McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mum Emma.

The show saw the dad and son duo travel across 24 countries without mobile phones, credit cards and any contact with family and friends. Alex, 43, said it was good to be immersed in the challenge, explaining: "We've been fully consumed by the race, and anything that has been happening in the outside world has been so far away, and that's probably a good thing."

Alex Beresford and his dad Noel won Celebrity Race Across the World (PA)

Alex was in a relationship with Natalia and they split at the start of lockdown (Instagram)

The Bristolian presenter cut all contact with his wife, Imogen McKay, and his teenage son Cruz to take part in the race, and explained prior to the show airing that he thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend more time with his dad. Speaking to Radio Times, he said: "You don't get to spend this sort of time with your parents as an adult. Imogen was upset, as she loves travelling and she's a fan of the show. But, as much as I love her and spending time with her, I'm not sure this was the honeymoon she'd want! With hindsight, I think I made the right decision."

The adventure allowed Alex to focus on the present and move away from the past, having experienced hardships and low points in his personal life. Prior to his marriage with Imogen, he was in a long-term relationship with former girlfriend Natalia, which broke down at the end of 2019. They decided to remain living together but Natalia and their eight-year-old son Cruz moved out two weeks before the first lockdown was introduced. It was a very lonely and isolating time for Alex, who admitted that he never expected to be single at 40.

Speaking on the Get Britain Talking podcast, he said: "It's been a massive learning curve, I didn't think at the age of 20 that when I was approaching 40, I would be in this situation. The age of 40, you'll be married, you'll be a grown up, you'll have a kid or two, your life is going to be set. I'm not old, I don't feel old, it's a bit daunting. But we've been in lockdown, so even if I wanted to go on a date, I couldn't go on a date. I don't want to grow old on my own, life is for sharing and it'd be great to meet someone in the future but they have to be right for me, right for Cruz."

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Alex admitted that he felt lonely when he turned 40 and it was a 'massive learning curve' (Instagram)

When Natalia had to self isolate for 14 days, Alex was unable to see Cruz and found it "really lonely". "I've realised how strong I am, but I am only strong because of the people I have behind me," he continued. "As we kind of moved into the summer, myself and Natalia decided we were going to part ways, which, you know me. I'm not a quitter, and I hate quitting things. We tried to work through things, but at some point you realise the best thing to do for everybody is walk away, but walking away is never easy."

He added: "We were in the same house up until the beginning of this year, knowing that we were parting ways, it takes a while to figure things out. One thing I didn't want to do is rush things. By being in that house, knowing we weren't together, we started to get on better - it removed a lot of the stress and expectation that a relationship can bring. It was so much to manage, we are only human and have feelings and emotions. The important thing is to open up and talk to someone about what you're going through."

Alex opened up more about his mental health in his recent ITV documentary, Black Boys Can Cry, at the beginning of October. He was moved to make the film after his friend Martin Walker died in 2020. Walker - known by his rapper name Sirplus in Bristol - attempted suicide and incurred a brain injury that killed him a year-and-a-half later. Alex was rocked by his sad death. He told The Independent: "Martin passing was obviously quite a moment in our lives; I say our lives, because our families are very close… It's a real journey that we've been on. We're still on it."

Alex had an infamous spat with Piers Morgan that resulted in him leaving Good Morning Britain in 2021 (ITV)

Martin's death came just months after Alex's infamous fallout with Piers Morgan live on air, over his treatment of Meghan Markle. Back in April 2021, Piers slammed Alex for launching a "premeditated attack" during a row about Meghan that ultimately cost Piers his job after he refused to apologise for his remarks. Alex said: "I understand that you don't like Meghan Markle. You've made it so clear a number of times on this programme. I understand you've got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or had one and she cut you off… she's entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has, but yet you continue to trash her."

Piers eventually marched off set before returning to continue presenting the show. Later that day, he quit the ITV breakfast show. Speaking on Celebrity Race Across the World, Alex said: "I've never taken time away from work like this. The pace is different especially when you work in the media. The whole GMB Meghan Markle fall out was definitely a shock to the system to find yourself in the middle of a media storm was crazy. When you get subjected to criticism online you either have to stand up, or fold. You have to grow a thick skin very quickly. It knocked me a little bit. But, I definitely feel stronger having gone through it. When I look back on it now, I thank God for my family and friends because it's those people who get you through."

Piers rehashed the row this year in a BBC interview with Amol Rajan, as he said: "I don’t mind a guest doing that but I do object to someone who had asked to come on the show, who was on the team, who then makes a very personal attack on me." Describing his thought process during the fiery debate he continued: "And so at that moment, I thought there are two things that are going to happen here. Either I'm going to lose my rag and do something I regret – or I'm going to go and walk off. I don't like to think about what I would have done. I was certainly looking at him thinking 'Yeah I better leave the room.'" He then added: "Just for the record, I think he was a treacherous little p***k. So he can say what he likes about me. He absolutely has a right to his opinion. That is my opinion about him."

Nia Dalton