Ian Wylie
March 07, 2009

A MILLION footsteps later . . . today was set to be the greatest day of all for Take That star Gary Barlow.

The Cheshire-based singer was leading a team of Comic Relief celebrities to the top of Kilimanjaro.

Summit

Barring last-minute hitches, all nine team members were set to reach the summit today.

They include Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, actress and presenter Denise Van Outen, singer Alesha Dixon plus Radio One DJs Chris Moyles and Fearne Cotton.

Just before they set off on the final push to conquer the 19,340ft peak, they were told the Red Nose Climb has so far raised more than £1.3m.

Sickness

But no one was underestimating the problems of altitude sickness and exhaustion in the thinr air after a tough week-long trek.

Before setting off for Africa's highest summit, Gary said: "All the ups, the downs, the tears, the laugher, we've had it all this week. I never want to sleep in a tent ever again in my life.

"It's been very, very gruelling. There's been between seven and nine hours of walking each day. But this is the climax."

Nausea

Ben Shephard, who presents GMTV and Manchester's The Krypton Factor, said most of the nine celebrities had been suffering from headaches and nausea.

He said: "It's been a very long week.

"Right now, all we're thinking is getting to the top, getting to the summit and getting off this mountain and getting to the bar and having a drink and celebrating."

He added: "I could never have imagined it would be this hard. I pride myself on keeping myself fit. But this has been one of the biggest challenges of my life.

Treatment

He said X Factor judge Cheryl had been `very ill' a few nights ago but recovered after medical treatment. He added: "She's battling on today and she's looking very strong."

TV host Fearne had also been unwell on the Tanzania trek with suspected altitude sickness. But it turned out to be a stomach bug.

Also taking part in the charity climb are singer Ronan Keating and Cheryl's Girls Aloud colleague Kimberley Walsh.

Lives

Comic Relief say their efforts will raise money to help change lives in Africa and Britain.

In particular, the celebrities are highlighting the problem of malaria, a disease which kills a child every 30 seconds in Africa.

BBC Radio One listeners have broken the £1m barrier in donations for the overall Comic Relief 2009 campaign.

In the Chris Moyles Show yesterday, hosted by Bolton's Vernon Kay, listeners raised over £230,000 alone.

Vernon said: "We are flabbergasted by the support listeners have given."enal.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news...._summit

We rise very early at around midnight to start the ascent up to the crater rim through the scree slopes to Stella Point, then to the highest point in Africa, Uhuru Peak. Stella Point is located at 5750m around the crater rim which is reached after dawn. It is worth wearing several layers of thermal clothes before starting the trek to the summit. After enjoying the amazing views on Kilimanjaro's summit, we will trek downwards via Stella Point and the scree slopes back to Barafu camp (This is where their tents blew away so they carried on) for some hours rest before heading to Millennium camp located at 3750m. This is the hardest day for the trekkers to have ever experienced, which involves ascents and descents taking around 13-15 hours. We will camp and have dinner at Millennium camp.
Day 8

We leave the camp early in the morning and trek downwards to Mweka Gate via Mweka camp (3100m). The path from Millennium camp takes us through where heather grows, and the path is dusty. It takes about an hour to Mweka camp. The dusty path continues for some time before entering a heavy rainforest that takes us to the gate where we will have a picnic lunch, certificate presentation and photos before heading to the hotel where you will have dinner and stay overnight. It will take us 4-5 hours from Mweka camp to Mweka Gate (1500m).

Asked about their momentous achievement a few hours after reaching the summit, the nine brave climbers each had the following to say:

Cheryl: It has been - without question - the single most mentally and physically challenging experience of my life. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was up for. I'm so proud of all of us for making it to the top. But it is the end result that was the sole purpose of this trip. Having experienced life here first-hand, in hindsight it has been one of my most rewarding experiences too. Hindsight being the operative word!

Ronan: I hope I can convey in words the magnitude of the last 10 days. It has been both incredible and really frustrating! We trekked over 70km through valleys hills and cliffs. The last night - up to the summit - was so tough and physically and mentally draining it almost destroyed us. But we all dug deep and persevered in the most grueling conditions - like gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph on the ridge. It was at times soul destroying. But in the end we all succeeded. I am so proud to be part of this team and most importantly of the money we raised for Comic Relief.

Gary: This has been an amazing trip for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the climbers - each successful in their own right, not trying to revive a fading career and totally up for coming out of their comfort zone for a monumental charity event. Second, to hear the totals everyday has kept our spirits up so thank you so much to the beautiful British public for being so generous. Lastly, the challenge, totally underestimated by every one of us, this climb was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life - I never want to see a tent or a sleeping bag ever again! The summit was a massive high but the previous eight days have been down right miserable, cold and lonely. Thank goodness we're gonna change, and hopefully save, lives with our efforts.

Fearne: This has been the toughest eight days of my life. I have experienced some of the lowest and highest moments of my life on this mountain. The emotions were running high at all times and this is a trip I will never forget. Though being ill, sleeping in the freezing cold, and walking for what seems like forever - we all did it and are so happy with the amount of money raised and people's generosity! Thanks x

Alesha: Feeling very numb and alone on the mountain I had a lot of time to think. The money raised so far is a testament to the British public's ability to dig deep in times of need. The people of Africa are beautiful; I have learnt so much from them and will always strive to raise awareness of the crisis that is malaria.

Chris: Minus ten, lying in a tent with the worlds worst wind, knowing that I had to be awake at six to walk for eight hours and that was just one night out of eight.

Ben: Nine of us came out to Tanzania excited confident and clean. Eight days later we are shattered broken and filthy. We have all made it to the summit, we are all delighted its over and we all seriously need a wash. I could never convey how hard and at the same time how special this experience has been. We have shared so much together, been through so much together, and to know that so many people will benefit means that all of us together have achieved more than we could possibly imagine.

Denise: I flew out to Uganda for Comic Relief in December and witnessed first hand the amazing work the Charity is doing to help the fight against Malaria. The local people I met on that trip amazed me with their kindness and generosity. There is one woman I will never forget. A young mother who had just lost her five-year-old baby to Malaria the morning we met. She showed such inner strength, so she was my drive through the toughest times on Mount Kili. Its been the hardest, but best week of my life.

Kimberley: I went to hell and back but got to the top.

9 MARCH 2009
Follow the Comic Relief team's progress with daily updates and video reports in our special feature

It was the moment Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole and the rest of the celebrity fundraising team had given everything to achieve. After seven hard days of climbing, which stretched them to the limit both mentally and physically, the star group finally reached the 19,330ft peak of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, raising almost £1.5 million for Comic Relief in the process.

Understandably, reaching the top was a moving experience for each of the nine walkers, who arrived at various stages after setting off at 4am on Saturday morning - led by Ben Shepherd. Take That star Gary described the moment he had the finish line within his sights.

"Seven months of planning, phone calls, emails, training, sweat, tests and sleepless nights had all led to this," said the singer, who had overcome back problems to complete the climb. "The sun started to rise, it was so emotional and for the first time I lost it and couldn't stop crying."

The final push to the summit took four hours for the fastest, trekking through steep rocky terrain in brutal gale force winds at sub zero temperatures. "The walk was steep, severe and heart breaking," says Gary.

After time to reflect on the enormity of their achievement and to take in the breathtaking vistas on the top of the mountain, the trekkers got started on the 12-15 hour descent. They were due to spend a final night under canvas on the slopes before a five hour walk the following day through rainforest terrain.
http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2009/03/09/kilimanjaro-peak/

By Lizzie Smith
Last updated at 12:14 AM on 10th March 2009

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For the eight long days it took to climb Mount Kilimanjaro all that mattered was making it to the next camp.

Used to living life in the lap of luxury, the nine celebrities in the Comic Relief team had to put aside their complex beauty routines and get back to basics.

But as they triumphantly stepped onto British soil last night it was clear that the females in the team had raided their suitcases, and make-up bags, in preparation.
Comic Relief team

Back in Britain... and their heels: Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Alesha Dixon and Denise Van Outen have already ditched their low maintenance climbing outfits

Cheryl Cole, her Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh, popstar Alesha Dixon and presenter Denise Van Outen had all replaced their walking boots with high heels.

And after a week of being photographed devoid of make-up they had made an effort to prepare for their final photoshoot.

However Cheryl's return has been marred by the behaviour of her husband Ashley while she has been away.

The exhausted star is said to be preparing for a showdown with the England footballer, who was arrested outside a nightclub for drunk and disorderly conduct in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Cheryl and Ashley Cole

Fuming: Cheryl Cole, pictured with husband Ashley at the Brit Awards last month, is said to be furious at the news of his arrest for drunk and disorderly

Cheryl is said to have burst into tears upon being told of Cole’s arrest. An expedition member said: ‘She was very worried – really low.’

She has now reportedly asked aides to send her newspaper headlines about the incident, which saw Ashley fined £80 and locked up in a police cell for the night.

One likely topic of conversation will be the threat of legal action which Ashley made against a newspaper if it prints pictures of him chatting to a beautiful blonde on the night he was arrested.

Ashley claims he and the woman were having an ‘intellectual conversation’ and has threatened to sue The Sun for aggravated damages if it publishes the picture.
Enlarge Comic Relief team

Back in Britain: The Comic Relief celebrity team arrive at RAF Northolt; (L to R) Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Alesha Dixon, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles and Ben Shepard

However yesterday the team were concentrating on celebrating their success in Africa - and the one and a half million pounds raised in aid of Comic Relief.

The celebrities landed at RAF Northolt at approximately 5:15 pm, after Gary Barlow surprised them by arranging a private charter to the airbase.

After the gruelling days on the mountain the exhausted team had spent Sunday relaxing and enjoying numerous hot showers.

The climbers will enjoy a few days at home to recuperate before meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Number Ten Downing Street on Thursday.

The Kilimanjaro celebrities will then reunite on Comic Relief – Funny For Money on BBC One from 7pm, where they will find out the updated total amount of money that their efforts have raised.

A documentary crew captured every punishing moment of the celebrities time on the mountain and Kilimanjaro - The Big Red Nose Climb will be broadcast on Thursday 12th March, the evening before Red Nose Day.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb....ey.html