Anita Rani and her father Bal Singh Nazran have revealed how they were mistaken for refugees by hotel staff in Mexico during filming for the new Celebrity Race Across The World series.
Speaking about their refugee encounter, Anita’s father Bal, from Bradford, revealed: ‘We were filming in a hotel in Mexico and the owners thought we were refugees.
‘It is because we kept asking where the border was, as we were obviously trying to get to the next location point.
‘We were asking this hotel at night and we were asking where the border was.
‘And because they did not speak any English they translated on their mobile phone and kept asking if we needed sanctuary.’
Anita added: ‘We were asking how to get to the border and there we are, these cultural ambiguous looking brown people in Central America.
Anita Rani and her father Bal Singh Nazran have revealed how they were mistaken for refugees by hotel staff in Mexico during filming for the new Celebrity Race Across the World series
Speaking about their refugee encounter Anita’s father Bal from Bradford revealed: ‘We kept asking where the border was as we were obviously trying to get to the next location point’
‘Also on this trip dad stayed at his first ever back packers [hostel] and they were all playing pool and everyone was really young. They were just tattooing each other.
‘They were like 16 or 17-year-olds from all over the world and I was like “Now dad. You are going to see people smoking weed.” He was like “as long as I don’t get high!”‘
Also taking part in the BBC One series, which just premiered at the Curzon Cinema in Soho, are Strictly stars Molly Rainford, Tyler West, Roman and Harleymoon Kemp.
Harleymoon Kemp claimed that filming the show ‘absolutely changed’ her relationship with her sometimes distant brother Roman ‘forever’.
‘We are a really close family but when you are a close family it does not mean that me and my siblings are best mates,’ she noted.
‘Like, you meet up at your mum and dad’s place and take the dogs out and make each other a cup of tea and do the small talk.
‘I don’t remember the last time me and Roman went for dinner together or have been on holiday together.
‘We are such different characters. I was really up for the adventure and I did not realise what a bag of nerves I was taking with me.
‘But he was always the more sensitive and straight guy.
‘The first thing our parents asked us when we got home was “Please tell us. Did you get on?” They were so worried about us. It was great to have that time to really understand each other.’
The contestant added: ‘Because they did not speak any English they translated on their mobile phone and kept asking if we needed sanctuary’
Also taking part in the BB1 series, which just premiered at the Curzon Cinema in Soho, are Strictly stars Molly Rainford, Tyler West, Roman and Harleymoon Kemp
Harleymoon continued: ‘That’s why I went on this adventure as I am not sure there would have been another time when we would have come together in that way. Learning that being vulnerable (Roman) is a very beautiful thing to be.
‘Being sensitive is beautiful and when we were kids I used to find it annoying that he was trying to tell me off for having a different way of thinking.
‘This gave us seven weeks of understanding each other and I can’t put any price on doing that adventure.’
However, she conceded that it wasn’t always easy.
‘I shared a bed with my brother and he is 6ft2 and we were in a single bed on the first night and it was a bit awkward,’ she admitted.
‘There was no air con and he was sweating with anxiety. That was our first night for seven weeks.’
The new series of Celebrity Race Across the World returns with four new celebrity duos who trade luxury for limited budgets and public transport as they embark on an epic 5,900km race across Central America.
From the pristine beaches of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, to the wild beauty of La Guajira, Colombia, the series explores deep personal connections and emotional journeys in one of the most culturally rich and visually spectacular routes yet.
Anita Rani confirmed her romance with new boyfriend Alex Lavery as they made their first public appearance together at a London Fashion Week afterparty back in September.
Alex is at the helm of immersive sonic experience company Frqncy Ldn which ‘explores the effects of sound and mind on the body,’ and he performed sound meditations as part of Glastonbury Festival’s wellness programme.
The pair were previously seen this summer enjoying the Green Man Music Festival together and at the homeware store B&Q , The Sun reports.
Antia’s new relationship comes two years after she ended her 14-year marriage to technology executive Bhupinder Rehal in September 2023.
Celebrity Race Across the World begins November 6 on BBC One and will be available to stream on iPlayer.