BBC’s Pilgrimage Series: Jay McGuinness Opens Up About His Spiritual Journey
Jay McGuinness, a former member of the British boyband The Wanted, has spoken about his decision to join the BBC’s Pilgrimage series, revealing that the death of his bandmate Tom Parker sparked a renewed interest in spirituality. According to an interview with Yahoo News UK, McGuinness stated that Tom’s passing rekindled questions about faith that he had left unanswered.
In an emotional confession, McGuinness revealed that while Tom was battling brain cancer, he found himself praying, and after Tom’s passing, he wondered if his prayers were being heard. As Yahoo News UK reported, McGuinness said: “That did sort of reignite a lot of the questions that I’ve left unanswered in the back of my mind.” The 34-year-old singer, who was raised Catholic but now identifies as agnostic, admitted that he is searching for catharsis and is unsure if he will find the answers he seeks.
McGuinness is one of the contestants on the latest series of Pilgrimage, a BBC Two documentary that follows a group of celebrities as they embark on a 300km journey through the Alps. The show, which also features The Traitors 2024 winner Harry Clark, comedians Helen Lederer and Daliso Chaponda, TV presenter Jeff Brazier, paralympian Stef Reid, and journalist Nelufar Hedayat, begins in the Austrian town of Inzing and ends at the baroque Catholic monastery Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland. As Yahoo News UK noted, the pilgrimage route takes the contestants through a stunning alpine landscape, where they will face physical and emotional challenges.
The Pilgrimage series has become a staple of BBC programming, offering a unique insight into the spiritual journeys of its contestants. According to Yahoo News UK, McGuinness joined the show because it “sounded like the perfect thing to do” and he hopes to find answers to his questions about faith. He added: “In some way I know that I’m maybe searching for that catharsis… On Pilgrimage I’d just like to sort of see if the wind is blowing in any direction that I’ve missed, [if] anyone’s got any answers that have escaped me.”
The journey is not an easy one, with contestants facing a challenging two-week trek on foot and by bus through the Alps. However, as Yahoo News UK reported, the experience has brought the contestants closer together, with McGuinness and his fellow pilgrims forming close bonds on the route.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, offering viewers a chance to follow the spiritual journeys of McGuinness and his fellow contestants. As Yahoo News UK noted, the show provides a unique insight into the challenges and triumphs of the pilgrims as they make their way through the stunning alpine landscape.
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