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Jo Gardiner dies at 61
Jo Gardiner, a physiotherapist and star of the BBC’s Race Across the World, has died at 61 after “a long and courageous battle with cancer,” her family said.
“Jo died one year after her son Sam Gardiner sadly died in an A34 crash”
Her death comes one year after her son Sam Gardiner died at 24 in a car crash, with the BBC travel show describing Jo as the “matriarch of the Race Across the World cast family.”
The Manchester Evening News reported that Jo and Sam, from Gatley, Stockport, competed in the second series of Race Across the World in 2020, travelling across South America together.
In a statement shared by her family, Jo was remembered as “an intrepid adventurer, brave, kind, witty and endlessly loving,” and as someone who “lived fully, fiercely and never did anything by halves.”
Tributes and programme response
Tributes poured in after the news, including Race Across the World competitors, with Alfie Watts writing: “Rest in peace Jo. Such an incredible woman.”
Lizzie Slater said: “So lucky to have known Jo, she was really one of a kind. Will miss her so much.”
The BBC and production company Studio Lambert also issued condolences, saying: “We offer our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Jo’s son Charlie, and her wider family and friends.”
In the same programme tribute, the cast recalled that “Millions of people remembered their transformative journey across Latin America in 2020,” and said they would “fondly recall Jo’s passion for life” and “utter devotion to Sam and her family.”
Legacy, fundraising and family
Jo Gardiner’s family said she was survived by her son Charlie, and they asked that those who knew and loved her “do exactly what she would have wanted: tell the funny stories, raise a glass, have an adventure, laugh loudly and live life to the full.”
““do exactly what she would have wanted: tell the funny stories, raise a glass, have an adventure, laugh loudly and live life to the full.””
The Manchester Evening News said Jo worked as a physiotherapist and ran her own clinic alongside working for the NHS, and it also noted she lived with Type 1 diabetes and was an ambassador for Diabetes UK.
A JustGiving fundraising page set up in Jo’s memory directed donations to Diabetes UK, and the page described Jo as being remembered for her “wit, warmth and can-do attitude.”
The Manchester Evening News also said Jo and Sam’s father Andrew campaigned to raise awareness and funds for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in memory of Sam, and it quoted the charity National FASD describing her as “a compassionate and determined advocate.”