Celebrity Hunted 2023 cast: Meet the famous fugitives of season 5

From the Off Menu podcast's Ed Gamble and James Acaster, Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Jones and Starstruck's Nikesh Patel, celebrities from all types of fields are attempting to evade the Hunters for Stand Up to Cancer – but who are they?

Here's everything you need to know about the famous pairs.

James Acaster and Ed Gamble

Age: 38 and 37

Job: Comedians and podcast hosts

Instagram: @edgamblecomedy

James Acaster and Ed Gamble are comedians who are best known for hosting The Off Menu podcast together. Both have appeared on Taskmaster, while Gamble is a judge on Great British Menu and a temporary co-host of Pointless. As for Acaster, he has appeared on Would I Lie to You, Mock the Week, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, The Great Celebrity Bake Off and 2021's Cinderella.

On why they decided to take part in the show together, Gamble said: "I couldn't think of many people who I would want to go through Celeb Hunted with other than James. I knew James would approach it in the right way.

"I think I have a propensity to take things far too seriously. And I think if I'd been by myself or with someone who was like me, then I would've gone into full character and probably ditched the camera crew and crawled into the undergrowth. So James was a lot more lighthearted and was much more about having a laugh, and it was a wonderful experience to do it with him."

Aimee Fuller and Katya Jones

Age: 31 and 33

Job: Olympic snowboarder; professional dancer

Instagram: @aimee_fuller; @katyajones

Aimee Fuller is a slopestyle snowboarder who has teamed up with professional dancer Katya Jones for Celebrity Hunted.

Fuller has represented Great Britain at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics, while Jones is best known as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, which she joined in 2016 after becoming the British, European and World Latin American Champion with her dance partner Neil Jones.

On why they wanted to take part in the show, Fuller said: "A lot of my career has been an individual sport and I'm the one standing up there at the top and I take the weight of the pressure, but for this, we get to split the load between Katya and I. I think it's a unique opportunity."

Meanwhile, Jones added: "It's an event that raises awareness and funds for Stand Up to Cancer, which is always a bonus. I just think it's actually that I'd like to do something outside of Strictly. I think it's a great chance for me to show my different sides and versatility, plus who wouldn't want to hang out with your best friend for two weeks, right?"

Nik and Eva Speakman

Age: 61 and 53

Job: Therapists and TV presenters

Instagram: @thespeakmans

Nik and Eva Speakman are a marriage coupled who are best known as This Morning's resident therapists.

They previously hosted A Life Coach Less Ordinary and ITV's The Speakmans, before appearing on This Morning and BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show with Sara Cox.

On taking part in Celebrity Hunted, Nik said that he lost his mother to cancer, adding: "That was a big deal with us. But everyone knows The Speakmans but no one knows Nik and Eva."

As for Eva, she said: "The truth is that we tell people that they really should step outside their comfort zone because that's where magic happens. And honestly, I cannot tell you how far this is out of our comfort zone. Very, very, very far out of our comfort zone, this is. Oh, my gosh."

Bobby Seagull and Saffron Barker

Age: 39 and 22

Job: Maths teacher and TV personality; YouTuber

Instagram: @bobby_seagull; @saffronbarker

Maths teacher and broadcaster Bobby Seagull is taking on Celebrity Hunted alongside YouTuber and influencer Saffron Barker.

Seagull rose to fame after appearing on University Challenge in 2017 and has since appeared in Monkman & Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain, The Answer Trap, Pilgrimage and The Real Dirty Dancing. Meanwhile, Barker is best known for her YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 2.5 million followers, and for competing on Strictly Come Dancing.

On why they teamed up for Celebrity Hunted, Barker said that Stand Up to Cancer is "such an amazing cause", adding: "Anything I can do to help raise awareness then I'm happy to help," while Seagull said: "I'm someone, as an educator, a teacher, who always follow the rules. I stick to the letter of the law, so it's nice for me to break the boundaries and test the limits of what I'm able to do."

Nicola Thorp and Nikesh Patel

Age: 34 and 37

Job: Actors

Instagram: @missnicolathorp; @inikeshpatel

Nicola Thorp is an actress and broadcaster who is going on the run with her fiancé, fellow actor Nikesh Patel – although he's missing from the first episode after contracting COVID.

Thorp has starred as Nicola Rubinstein on Coronation Street and appeared on This Morning, Doctors, Father Brown and Doctor Who. Meanwhile, Patel currently plays Tom on Starstruck and has appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Doctor Who, The Devil's Hour, Artemis Fowl and Man Like Mobeen.

On taking part in Celebrity Hunted, Thorp said that she's "obsessed" with the show. "I love Stand Up to Cancer and everything that Channel 4 does for Cancer Research. It was a total honour to be asked to do it. I love the show and it's for such an amazing cause," she said. "I've had family members who either have been diagnosed with cancer or who have died from cancer. So it's a cause that's very close to my heart."

Patel added: "Nic was the bigger fan of the programme out of the two of us until quite recently. But when I started watching it, I was just like, 'Oh my God, I don't know how I've missed this.' It’s basically a chance to live out every spy, action hero, fantasy in one go – it is just really cool and an amazing challenge."

Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up to Cancer will air on Channel 4 on Tuesday 28th March at 9pm. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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