Race Across the World stars reveal truth behind 35-year marriage split and pact to stay pals

They laughed at each other’s jokes, finished each other’s sentences, and tackled thunderstorms side by side. For viewers of , Gaz and Yin were a walking, talking advert for relationship success.

The chemistry between them was impossible to miss, prompting dozens of fans to root for a . But the truth, it turns out, is far more complex.

Now 54, Gaz and Yin met in their teens, married in a whirlwind elopement to Gretna Green in 1996, and spent 35 years building a life together - from raising their daughter Autumn, now 23, to running a Chinese takeaway and navigating career changes.

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But after decades of shared highs and lows, their marriage came to an end in their 40s, with Yin revealing to : "To be honest, I don’t think either of us handled it very maturely. My frustrations probably sounded to Gaz like moaning over nothing. We had a nice house, several holidays a year. But I didn’t feel I was being listened to."

Gaz had been working a high-pressure sales job, while Yin took on an admin job with regular hours so she could be there for their daughter. Eventually, with Gaz running his own company, Yin was burdened with the majority of jobs around the house.

She felt unfulfilled, and by the time their daughter was older and not relying on Yin as much, she was left asking herself: "Is this it?" Yin added: "I felt I was being left behind."

Meanwhile, Gaz says the pair simply grew apart, describing it as a general "sliding away". They even moved house for a “fresh start.” But by 2021, the couple had made the tough, mutual decision to part ways after marriage counselling failed to resolve their problems.

Despite seeing a marriage counsellor, it soon became clear the couple could not work things out and opted to be friends instead, making a pact to ensure they stay close for their daughter's sake as well as their own. Their fellow Race Across the World contestants, who had no idea the “best friends” they were competing alongside were, in fact, exes, were shocked to discover the truth.

Even now, they’re technically still married, though divorce papers remain unsigned. “I think they were very shocked to discover the truth,” Gaz adds. “But it never felt to us.”

Yin briefly found new love with Chris, but he died suddenly of a cardiac arrest in 2023. Yin was devastated, and once again, it was Gaz who stepped in.

“When Yin called me, sobbing, I told her, ‘You can’t be alone - come stay with me and Autumn,’” says Gaz. Yin moved into his two-bed home, sleeping on the sofa and storing her clothes under the stairs. “He saved me,” she says. “I’d lost everything. I didn’t want to go on. But Gaz and Autumn pulled me through.”

Soon after, it was Yin who pushed them into their next adventure – applying to Race Across the World. Their journey through may not have ended in victory - they were eliminated after a freak storm derailed their route - but they won over the nation with their warmth, wit and seemingly unshakable bond.

Naturally, fans assumed the obvious: they must be back together. But the pair were quick to quash those rumours, admitting they were just good friends. They claim they are much happier as best friends, with Gaz adding they are "determined" to not be bitter exes who avoid talking.

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