Kelly Brook has given Celebrity Race Across the World fans a behind-the-scenes look at her journey from Brazil to Chile.
The model and TV star are taking part in the new season of the BBC show with her husband Jeremy Parisi. They will race from Belem in northern Brazil through South America to their Andean destination, Frutillar in southern Chile, competing against Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy, cousins Kola Bokinni and Mary Ellen, and the couple Sam Vaughan and Scott Mills.
As the show kicked off this week, Brook shared snaps showing her relaxing in a moment of downtime in Braganca, Brazil.
Snapshots behind the scenes
In one photo, the swimsuit-clad star was seen hanging towels in a garden and enjoying some sun, in another she was seen enjoying the view from the window of a house covered in greenery, and in another, Parisi sat on the porch surrounded by tropical plants.
“We are living our best backpacker life in this jungle paradise,” the model wrote.
The second set of images from Canoa Quebrada, Brazil, shows a stunning beach and Parisi eating a huge plate of delicious looking food. In another photo, the couple can be seen kissing, with a giant flower behind Brooks’ ear, as they celebrated the completion of the first stage of the competition.
She wrote that they “rocked it” and that she was “over the moon,” adding, “Let’s keep going baby!!”
The race was at times a “honeymoon from hell”
The couple got married in Italy two years ago but didn’t have time for a honeymoon, so Race Across the World was their opportunity to try a honeymoon with something a little different.
Brook told Closer: “We hadn’t had a honeymoon yet and I said to Jeremy we should consider this as a fun alternative, a once in a lifetime experience. Sometimes it was the honeymoon from hell – sometimes it was just lovely.”
“This has to be the most unforgettable honeymoon ever.”
Kelly Brook wanted an “adventure”
Brook also said that the race was not just a honeymoon of sorts, but that she “just really wanted us to have an adventure together” and that they were up for something different.
Before leaving, she explained, “I just knew we would never organize a trip like this. We’re staying at a hotel here and normally I’d be on the phone, looking for the best restaurants in the area, talking to the concierge to ask about day trips and if there are any boats we could charter!”
“I’m so fixated on traveling that it’s a liberating feeling not to have to do anything. It’s like a vacation from vacation organization.”
Kelly Brook said the experience “came at the right time”
Brook has also said she took a lot from the race, which finished before the series aired. She told Radio Times magazine that she was glad to be phone-free on her travels and that she enjoyed riding off the beaten track, and that it has changed the way she gets around now that she’s back home.
“I never took public transport because I was afraid of being recognised, but when I came back from the race I took the subway straight away,” she said. “Now I take the bus and train everywhere and it’s so liberating.”
She also said that the program came at “the right time” for her. “I felt confident enough to be a little more open about who I am,” Brook explained.
“For the past few weeks I’ve been wearing a really unflattering but very comfortable jumpsuit. When I wanted an upgrade on a night bus, it wasn’t about looking like a diva, it was about feeling comfortable!”
