Paddy McGuinness broke down live on air while hosting his Radio 2 show on Sunday as a listener read him a poem. 

The TV personality, 51, confessed a listener’s thoughtful words had ‘got to him’ as the dedicated fan, Emma, reminded him of his journey to his upcoming Children In Need challenge – a 300 mile cycle ride which he will start on Monday. 

Hosting his usual Radio 2 show, Paddy took a call from a woman from Bedfordshire who revealed she had written him a poem to give him some encouragement.  

Taking the call, Paddy welcomed the caller on to the show before asking her to share her poem.

Emma said: ‘Paddy, as you set off on patch, know we have you back. Hopefully those meat pies have been avoided and you can stay on track. Some might 300 miles on a chopper is a crazy plan. 

Paddy McGuinness broke down live on air while hosting his Radio 2 show on Sunday as a listener read him a poem 

The TV personality, 51, confessed a listener’s thoughtful words had ‘got to him’ as the dedicated fan, Emma, reminded him of his journey to his upcoming Children In Need challenge 

‘But if anyone can do it we know you can. We have loved your regular training updates – your sore bum, aching muscles and various scrapes. 

‘Ending up in a cow field running out of tea, ice baths and a dodgy knee. Our Bolton boy with a heart of golden , good looking chap, if we may be so bold. You’ve gone from coveting a chopper as a boy, to cycling tips  from Sir Chris Hoy. 

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‘So Wrexham to Scotland here you come, everyone will be beeping and cheering you on. Keep on peddling paddy, if you can enjoy the view and remember all those young lives that will be changed because of you. 

Letting out an emotional sigh, Paddy shared his graтιтude with the listener and revealed that it struck an emotional nerve. 

He told the caller: ‘Emma, thank you very much for that. It got me a little bit that.  It is so beautiful. Do you know what I love about that Emma? 

‘The fact you were talking about things I had forgotten about my self.’ 

He then revealed he forgot about getting lost on the cow field. 

Paddy grew up in Farnworth, Bolton with his mother who worked as a cleaner and his father who served in the military, before working in the scrap metal industry then as a miner and finally as a lorry driver.

The comedian is embarking on the Radio 2 Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge on Monday morning to raise money for the charity 

Paddy’s love of a vintage bike he craved as a child inspired him to take on the mammoth task of cycling across the country for Children In Need (pictured riding his bike in Cheshire)

Although his parents gave him everything they could, Paddy said he remembers growing up desperately wishing for certain things. 

And one of those was a purple Chopper, his bike of choice for his charity ride across the UK. 

He told the publication that as a boy he got a BMX 2000 as a present and although he has fond memories of that bike, what he really wanted was a purple Chopper.

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He said: ‘I remember thinking, ‘God, I’d give my right arm for that bike.’ I became mates with him and borrowed it off him for a while and swapped it for a Star Wars AT-AT [All Terrain Armoured Transport] toy.’

And decades later, during the first Covid lockdown, to cheer himself up, Paddy bought himself the same bike he had wanted as a child for £400 on eBay. 

And it’s his love of that vintage bike that inspired him to take on the mammoth task of cycling across the country for Children In Need. 

The comedian is embarking on the Radio 2 Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge to raise money for the charity.

Paddy will start on Monday 11 November at Wrexham Football Club before travelling Flintshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Westmorland, Cumbria, Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire and finishing in Glasgow on Friday 15 November.

The presenter will be riding a bright yellow Chopper, complete with Pudsey Bear’s face on its frame for the endurance task.

Impressively, the star has had no help from a personal trainer, and the only professional cycling advice he has had has been from Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy. 

The cyclist, revealed last month that his cancer had become terminal. 

The star has had no help from a personal trainer, and the only cycling advice he has had has been from Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy (pictured) who recently revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis

The six-time Olympic gold medalist, 48, shocked the sporting world when he revealed he would be living with stage four cancer for ‘the rest of his life’.

But despite the difficult news, the athlete has continued to love cycling and has been helping his neighbour and friend Paddy with training. 

The Take Me Out host explained that Sir Chris lives near him and he reached out to ask for help with his training. 

And the cyclist was more than willing to oblige and promised to take Paddy out on some ‘punishing rides’ to prepare him. 

He also advised the TV star to ride his bike every day just to get used to being in the saddle because it can become painful sitting in the same position for so long. 

And it seems Sir Chris has made it his personal mission to get Paddy ready, the star revealed he has been going to great lengths to help him. 

He confessed: ‘He’s been going around finding me bum cream! I’ve got to slather it on myself, and the bib shorts I’m wearing.

‘It feels awful, but if you don’t have it on, you can’t ride any longer than an hour or two, because of the friction.’

As well as taking on the mammoth cycle, Paddy will be making his way around the UK via stage. 

The tour will be his first in eight years and will wrap up in April 2025. 

Paddy McGuinness does Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need – donate at www.bbc.co.uk/paddy