Who are Ladi and Monique? Meet Race Across The World 2023 contestants

Asked if they have a strategy to get from Vancouver to St John's, Newfoundland without phone access, the internet or flights, Ladi revealed:"Not really. Yes, I eventually watched both series and there's different methodology to this. But with strategy, we will always be thrown curveballs, which might completely blow our strategy out of the water and I think it's more about adaptability, flexibility, and agility to get us around where we need to get to."

As they join the Race Across The World 2023 cast read on for everything you need to about Ladi and Monique.

Who are Ladi and Monique?

Relationship: Father and daughter

From: Essex and East London

Jobs: Sport and physical activity professional, consultancy and event manager

Ladi, 52, and his daughter Monique, 25, hail from Essex and East London. They decided to join the show together to spend more time together as they no longer live together, and think the BBC One show will only bring them closer.

"I don't think there's anyone else I'd rather do this with. Me and Dad don’t live together so I don’t get to see him very often so, as an adult, it will be nice to spend so much time together as we haven’t done that since I was young," Monique said.

"I know that we're going to have an absolute ball on this adventure. She’s my Princess and I will protect her through hell and high water and it's just an extension of that. I wouldn't want to see her travelling around the world without me being around to save her from all the various trials and tribulations and challenges. Not that she won't be able to handle it herself," Ladi added.

"We are close as father and daughter and I think this will cement our relationship even further for when Monique is moving into the next phase of her life. Not to say that I wouldn't do this with my son, but it would be a different dynamic and it would be a different thing."

Why did Ladi and Monique want to take part in Race Across The World?

Monique signed up for the show because she wanted to challenge herself, saying: "So, I stumbled across the series and said to Dad that I reckon we can do this and it sort of just happened. My main motivations are because I love travelling, but on a holiday. So, I don't actually travel, I've never owned a backpack, don't do the whole camping thing, that's not me.

"I want to challenge myself to be able to experience countries in a way that I probably never would unless it was a show like this. And who better to go with than my dad, because I feel like I need someone who's older, wiser and knows more about the world than I do."

Ladia added: "I fully appreciate that answer: older, wiser, knows more about the world. I think for me, the motivation for doing this show is that I'm going to spend quality time with my daughter that I will probably never ever get again. Yes, she's my daughter, and she's always around, she's my princess, but she's entering into her own adulthood in a way."

When does Race Across The World 2023 start?

The new season of Race Across The World begins on Wednesday 22nd March.

In the first episode, all five couples will arrive at Vancouver, before setting off on the 16,000 trek. The quickest pair to make it to the finish line will go home with a £20,000 cash prize.

Race Across the World season 3 will start on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 22nd March at 9pm.

Previous season are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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