'WE NEEDED TO CONNECT AGAIN'

Presenter Mark Wright says an adventure-packed tour of Britain with his dad and brother was the perfect time for family bonding

- ALICE PENWILL

The Wrights decided to hit the road for some well-needed family time after a torrid few years.

Reality star turned radio presenter Mark Wright, his footballer brother Josh and dad Big Mark have enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, travelling around Britain to take on various wild activities, but also to reconnect after the tragic loss of Mark’s uncle Eddie, who died of Covid aged 66 in 2021.

It was actually Big Mark’s near-death experience that encouraged the boys to get on the road.

“He was close to death at one point,” reveals Mark. “My dad lost his brother in lockdown and then was seriously ill from Covid as well. Me, Josh and the rest of the family feel like he lost his confidence. This show was my idea because we’ve all been through a lot individually. I wanted to get my dad away, to show him that he’s not too old and that there’s still so much life to live.”

Mark, 36, admits he’s at fault for the family beginning to drift in recent years.

“I’ve probably not been present enough for my family,” he says. “I’ve been travelling too much, working away too much, chasing my dreams too much.

“And I felt that we all needed that moment to connect – just the three of us. We’re normally doing things with the rest of our wider family and our wives, but this time was for us, two brothers and our dad together. It was worth every moment, I loved it.”