Heartbreaking moment doctor admits feeling guilty over dad’s death: ‘I brought Covid home’

A Race Across the World star who works as a doctor has tearfully opened up about the guilt she feels over her father’s death.

The BBC series is once again back on our screens, with a new batch of pairings racing more than 12,000km from Palermo in Italy to Mongolia.

In what has been billed as ‘the most extreme race to date’, contestants will face conditions from the sweltering Mediterranean heat to the glacial temperatures further east, all on just £26 per day.

However, during the latest episode of the series, Puja shared an emotional story about her dad’s death four years ago.

After revealing that it was her birthday and she was missing her family while at an animal sanctuary in Turkey, she tearfully said: ‘Since we lost dad, all of our birthdays have just been slightly different.

‘Having a card from dad, just dad being present, seeing that familiar face, I just don’t have it anymore… It’s hard because you just want to hear his voice or just know what his opinion is.’

Puja opened up about losing her dad during Covid (Picture: BBC) She and her cousin Roshni are competing in this year’s BBC series (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Speaking to the camera, she then explained how after she finished medical school, she began working in emergency medicine before the Covid-19 pandemic ‘changed everything’.

‘In December 2021, we were just drowning in sick patients with Covid. Unfortunately, I got Covid. I was self-isolating in my room upstairs and making sure I didn’t touch anything.

‘But then dad got unwell. Having your relative in hospital with Covid… feels like someone basically has your heart in their hand and it’s just tearing it to pieces.

‘It’s hard because you just want to hear his voice’ (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert) Race Across The World saw the contestants first start in Palermo in Italy (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

‘It’s heartbreaking when it hits you. He’s not going to come back.’

She then continued: ‘I felt a lot of guilt because in my mind I brought Covid home, I put him in this situation and it was my fault. I still struggle with that.’

Puja’s cousin Roshni, who is a software engineer, consoled her by praising her ability to control her emotions.

**WARNING Spoilers for the latest episode

Following Puja and Roshi’s emotional moment, they became the first two to be eliminated from the series after arriving at the checkpoint last.

The family members, who had spent their twenties building successful careers while putting travelling on hold, were originally in second place before best friends Jo and Kush blew their budget to make up for the lost time.

Meanwhile, siblings Katie and Harrison maintained their healthy lead on the race.

Travelling across eight countries: Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, the series has so far been a hit with fans.

Race Across The World airs on Thursdays at 8pm on BBC One.

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