Paddy McGuinness made a memorable arrival at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards on Tuesday, cruising in on a bike. After riding onto the stage at MediaCityUK in Salford, he was caught off guard by a live TV mishap. The 51-year-old comedian is still basking in the success of his impressive cross-country cycling challenge, which raised over £10million for Children in Need. Last month, Paddy completed a 300-mile journey, starting in Wrexham, Wales, and finishing in Glasgow in mid-November.
Arriving in style, host Gabby Logan unexpectedly asked Paddy to present an award. Sports commentator Alex Scott quipped: "Paddy, some nice wheels there... have you recovered from Children In Need?". "I raised £10.5 million, but I don't like to talk about it," he joked. Gabby then said: "Paddy, it’s time to do the honours." Flustered, he replied, "Oh right, ok... am I reading something?" before adding, "They’ve not told me this... and the winner is...".
"Jean Paton," professional cyclist Laura Kenny chimed in. Paddy slashed BBC fundraising records, last month, when he cycled 300 miles on a Raleigh Chopper. Paddy’s 300-mile bike ride smashed Vernon Kay's extraordinary record from last year as he raised over £6 million for Children in Need.
Paddy broke down in tears as he finished the Children in Need challenge. Crowds of people lined the city streets and cheered him on as he cycled towards BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay headquarters, arriving at 10.28am. He was welcomed by Zoe Ball, who was presenting a live broadcast of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show in the foyer.
