Hell and High Water! Celebs take on the Zambezi River for Red Nose Day

Paddles at the ready! Dara O’Briain, Melanie C, Jack Dee, Chelsee Healey, Phillips Idowu and Greg James are taking on the mighty Zambezi river to raise money for Red Nose Day.

The six brave celebs are taking part the BT Red Nose Challenge: Hell and High Water challenge – a five day white-knuckle water ride which will see them travel under their own steam down Africa’s mighty Zambezi river and raise as much cash as possible for Red Nose Day. The challenge is sponsored by BT, a long term supporter of Comic Relief challenges since 2009.

They’ll push themselves to the limit travelling 111km down the deadly Zambezi, battling torrential downpours and negotiating rapids officially known as ‘The Washing Machine’ (sounds quaint), ‘Oblivion’ (hm, bit more dangerous) and ‘Gnashing Jaws of Death’ (no thanks) as they make their way beyond the world’s largest waterfall – Victoria Falls.

And if the river itself wasn’t enough, they’ll also come across some of the world’s most dangerous and frightening creatures – including crocodiles, lethal snakes and one of the most deadly – hippos!

At night, there’ll be no respite as they’ll camp on treacherous cliff tops and damp, soggy riverbanks, like a family of celebrity otters. And as if that wasn’t enough, they’re also likely to suffer nasty blisters, intense aching limbs and sweltering 30-degree heat, as they spend each day covering up to 29km on the river.

Dara O’Briain said: “When I was first asked to do this challenge, I did a quick Google search of Zambezi rafting but after the tenth page of people being instantly flung into the water I turned off the computer… but lives can be changed if people put their hands in their pockets in exchange for our misery so that sounds like a fair deal.”

The team are putting themselves through hell and high water in the hope of raising £1 million to help children in Zambia go to school. This could pay for life-changing education for thousands of vulnerable girls, for whom it means an escape from poverty and safety from child marriage and pregnancy. Any extra money raised will help those living unimaginably tough lives across the UK and the rest of Africa.

To help the stars raise stacks of cash, sponsor them now at BT MyDonate