Race Across The World star, 18, reveals incurable condition already proving a ‘challenge’

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Race Across The World viewers have praised a contestant for a ‘really well presented’ conversation about his incurable health condition.

The hit BBC show returned last night with five new couples trekking across Asia with a limited budget and no access to the internet to win £20,000.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of season four winners Alfie and Owen, they will travel 14,000km across China, Nepal and India to reach the finish line, Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, in the fastest time.

This year, the contestants include former married couple and now best friends, Gaz and Yin, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, brothers Brian and Melvyn and mother-son duo, Caroline and Tom.

But it was couple, Fin, 18, and Sioned, 19, who impressed viewers on Race Across The World’s first episode after Fin openly spoke about living with type one diabetes.

According to the NHS, type one diabetes is a condition where your body cannot make a hormone called insulin, and it is caused by a problem with your immune system.

Fin and Sioned perched on a wall after Fin started feeling ‘dizzy’ due to his type one diabetes (Picture: BBC) What are the symptoms of type one diabetes?

Diabetes UK urges the importance of looking out for the symptoms of type one diabetes, which it labels the 4Ts:

Toilet – ‘going for a wee more often, especially at night’

Thirsty – ‘being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it’

Tired – ‘being incredibly tired and having no energy’

Thinner – ‘losing weight without trying to, or looking thinner than usual.’

These are the most common, but other symptoms can include:

Blurry eyesight.

Genital itching or thrush

Cuts and wounds that take longer to heal

Fin said he was drinking a sugary drink to raise his blood sugar levels (Picture: BBC)

There’s currently no cure for type one diabetes, but it can be managed by checking your blood glucose regularly, tracking what you eat and drink, and adjusting how much insulin you take, the health body states.

After the race started at the Great Wall of China, Fin announced that he was feeling ‘really dizzy’ as his blood sugar levels were lowering.

As he perched on a wall and drank a sugary drink, he explained: ‘Exercise will bring down my levels, so I’m sitting down now and having fast-acting sugar.’

Fin revealed he was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was 11 years old and said he used to be ‘insecure and embarrassed’ by the condition.

Fin said he was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was 11 (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert) He was praised for raising awareness of the condition (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Turning to his girlfriend Sioned, he recalled: ‘I remember the day you found my sensor, you went here and you touched and you were like “What’s that?” and I was like, “Oh no.”

Saying he felt ‘gutted and embarrassed’ that she discovered his sensor, Fin added: ‘I think I would have probably hid it for a lot longer.’

Sioned said she found his feelings ‘so sad’ and now takes on a ‘motherly role’ with his blood sugar level monitoring.

Fin added: ‘It’s going to be a challenge doing the race.’

On X, viewers praised Fin and Sioned for raising awareness of type one diabetes.

Fin and Sioned are travelling across Asia in the BBC show (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Among them was @RyanSoapKing25, who said: ‘Love Fin & Sioned already. They look like they have such a lovely relationship. Great to see Fin raising awareness on Type 1 diabetes as well Feel I’m really going to fall in love with this pairing throughout the series. #RaceAcrossTheWorld.’

Also sharing their support @samgio1997 added: ‘Hope him and his girlfriend do well.’

@notthatone added: ‘Really well presented section on diabetes. Congratulations and thank-you @RATW_official#GBDoc#raceacrosstheworld.

Race Across The World continues on Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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