Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free has battled through severe weather to cycle 50 hours, raising £561,667 for Red Nose Daye

Arielle Free has completed her epic challenge for Red Nose Day and has this morning learned the final total raised now stands at an amazing £561,667 so far!

Yesterday, broken but not beaten Arielle, tackled the streets of Liverpool for the final day of her ‘Tour de Dance’ challenge for Red Nose Day. Arielle has managed to keep the DJ decks turning AND the wheels spinning for 50 hours across five cities, all whilst DJing live, to raise life-changing money for Comic Relief.

The past five days has seen Arielle face amber weather warnings, forcing herself to pedal through freezing temperatures, howling winds and snowstorms and she struggled through the cities of York, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, and finally Liverpool. At one point, the extreme conditions even caused the DJ decks to cut out, forcing Arielle to perform on her phone whilst the issue was fixed, yet still she powered through and kept going.

Arielle tackled this challenge of a lifetime on a heavy and hefty 10-person bike, without gears. She was joined by admirable Radio 1 listeners as well as some famous faces along the way, including Vick Hope, Matt Edmonson, Jordan North, Katie Thistleton and Clara Amfo, to help get her over the finish line.

Arielle was astounded by the constant support she experienced on the road and from Radio 1 listeners, receiving good luck messages from people across the country and celeb well-wishers such as Calvin Harris and Tom Grennan who re-wrote his hit song ‘Little Bit of Love’ to ‘Liverpool in Love’ for Arielle.

Crossing the finish line, Arielle broke down in tears before joining an emotional Vick Hope and Jordan North to hear how much she had raised at that moment.

Arielle said: “I’m utterly speechless, to raise over half a million pounds for such an amazing cause, I just don’t know what to say.

“This has truly been the toughest thing I have ever done in my life and there were days where I was genuinely so concerned I wouldn’t get through it. I’ve had to dig deeper than ever before, and I know I wouldn’t have made it to the finish line without the support of those who joined me on the bike and by you at home who have done nothing but spur me on! Thank you.”

Jordan North said: “All the Radio 1 family are so proud of Arielle, she’s proven this week how amazing she is. We all know and love her for her funny and infectious personality on air, so it’s been really tough to hear how broken she’s been at times. I was on that bike for just two hours, and it was awful, the weather has been horrific but what she has achieved this week is nothing short of incredible. Thank you to the wonderful Radio 1 listeners who have reached into their pockets and helped spur our girl on, you always amaze us and we will forever be grateful for your generosity.”

After visiting a project in Luton called ‘Mind Our Music’ through Music24, which helps people who have experienced mental health problems, Arielle understands how the money raised will go on to help change lives. From those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, homelessness, mental health problems, and food poverty, this money will help to support people here in the UK and around the world.