DX1ST DX1ST 22 Daily Express Wednesday, November 18, 2020 EXCLUSIVE: TIMMY MALLETT INTERVIEW Daily Express Wednesday, November 18, 2020 23 Heading to go ew INSPIRATION: Timmy with late brother Martin and, left, on here please his bike marathon SANTIO quam inversp erovite By News Reporter My truly special mperovi tatur? Am, utempor endipsandis sam doluptae nos di aut officiat modit volupta temporempor modia mil imod que deriae a cor aut quibus, sequodita sinvernamus. laborrum et exerem intecep eritae Aximil magnihitat aut et volupti dolor auda sitentistem ulluptatiore dita consendi fugiateniet ad mos volende dolupienia nobit, sum everatem lenimol volupid explibus et atium quatibus Et velit optatese non pedigenia sedita nist, culpario est eatur? quatur, utatatia doluptia vendit brother was in Bistium qui consequaest, volore arum nobis sapisciducid quo cus cone nos est, cum doluption num etur as asimetur aut hicillabo. quo beaqui cuptatur? Aborepuda Itatquid experehendit abo. Maio. sunt qui doluptur aut ut rerro Officit plis et que ipiendanime nis Caption in here tectur rae. Ita quodis anis sita con con rerovit, quataes my heart every By Olivia Buxton HEN Timmy Mallett’s brother died it hit him harder than he ever imag- ined possible. Martin had day of my been born with Down’s Syndrome and learning Wdifficulties and the family had been warned not to expect him to live much beyond his twenties. In fact, he lived to the age of 64, and the two HAPPIEST DAY: brothers were incredibly close. With wife Lynda They loved to share bike rides, exploring the countryside near the 2,500-mile sheltered community where Martin lived. At the time of his brother’s death, the veteran star of children’s TV had been planning a 2,500-mile charity cycle ride to raise awareness of mental health issues. He’d been due to set off just two days’ after Martin’s funeral. cycle pilgrimage Timmy could be forgiven for rethinking his plans, but instead he chose to use the journey, along the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ route, this wonderful warmth between him bless her, she stuck at it. Our as a way to process his loss and as a and the people there. wedding day was just the best. My tribute to his brother. “In his final years, he wasn’t very Children’s TV veteran Timmy on the pain of losing his beloved single Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie “The ride had been planned for a well and it was incredibly tough Yellow Polkadot Bikini was at No.1. long time before Martin died,” he watching him gradually succumb to Martin was very keen on it and the says. “But as a celebration ride and dementia, but I was always so grateful sibling, being rescued in France by Lorraine Kelly, and why organist played it as myself and Mrs not a grief ride. I knew that I was for the wonderful care and attention Mallett walked down the aisle. going to carry him in my heart.” he had at the care home in “But somehow fans got into the And to keep his memory alive, Aberdeen.” he never wants to see his I’m A Celeb campmates again church. Martin was handing out the Timmy has written a memoir, chart- order of service sheets and they ing the journey. years since I left the actual jungle challenge this time will be how the every day and holds live sessions took away some of the finished were coming up to me at the front “There’s not a day goes by when I and do you know what – I’ve never contestants cope in the cold and on Facebook. “I’ve always loved art ones. Lorraine was a great encour- asking if I would sign it and I was don’t think about him,” admits Timmy, IMMY first found fame in the watched the series back.” Although damp. Someone like Shane Richie and that was the reason for taking agement. It was lovely that she had like, ‘Hang on, this is my wedding 65. “He was a truly special person. mid-80s, as a presenter on Martin enjoyed it, at first. will have a ball with it because he the paints with me when I cycled gone out of her way across Europe day. You’re not supposed to be “Martin’s difficulties never stopped TV-am’s Saturday morning “I was covered in goopy stuff, loves camping and the outdoors. the Camino. It was such a personal to just see me and say, ’Are you here.’ And they were like, ‘Well that him engaging with everybody he met. children’s show the Wide- which he saw as good fun. In the “Whatever happens, I don’t think journey and I stopped whenever I doing okay?’ bloke gave us the order sheet!’ He spent many years living in a self- TAwake Club. Renowned for his loud Critter Chaos challenge, I had we’ll be seeing the celebrities strip felt like it to paint. “It made me realise that however “But Martin really did make the help community outside Aberdeen, shirts and outlandish glasses, he was 50,000 bugs including cockroaches, off like we did in the Jungle. After “Sometimes I would take a snap- far you are from home, you are occasion. I wish he’d been here for and we would often cycle along the also the face of Wacaday and presided mealworms, crickets, stick insects my critter challenge, I had so many shot, a photo or a little sketch, and never far away from your pals. our 30th anniversary. We went Deeside Railway line, which made over his game Mallet’s Mallet, where poured into a coffin. I can still bugs in my shorts I stripped off to then I would work something up in ”But we go back together from back to see the church where we’d the challenge feel even more special. unsuccessful contestants would get a remember the rotting smell. show a blue and white pair of flow- my accommodation that night. I’d our TV-am days and it’s been a got married in Wye in Kent. The “I was on the road for two months bash on the head with his foam Pinky “But Martin was a little uncer- ery bathing trunks.” be sitting there after dinner, doing good friendship. You have to work reception was at Chilham Castle on a journey that took me through Punky Mallet. tain with the way that people But then, Timmy has always been some painting. at friendships – they’re important.” and we went there too. France and Spain and I took him with The game led to a few of his well- reacted to one another. There is an a vibrant character, and is a keen “I must have done about 150 The affection clearly runs both “We took the wedding album to me every mile of the journey, in my known catchphrases such as Utterly awful lot of tension in the jungle artist with a taste for colourful paintings but I wasn’t able to carry ways. In a review for Timmy’s mem- see how it had changed but the heart and in my memories. He was Brilliant (the title of his memoirs) and experience.” painting. It’s something that played them all on my journey.” oir, Lorraine has written: “This is a statue that me, my dad and Chris the best brother ever. Blaaah! After the channel closed, he Tommy recalls how he was con- a huge part in his 2018 journey That problem was solved when journey brimming with love and Evans posed with was still there. “When he was born, our mother continued to pop up on various TV stantly ridiculed by fellow jungle along the Camino trail. He paints Timmy’s great friend, daytime TV laughter, that’s also deeply moving. “It was lovely to be reminded of was frightened, but he demonstrated shows, most memorably on the 2008 campmates including TV presenter presenter Lorraine Kelly came to Timmy’s glass isn’t just half full, it’s it because your wedding day is that Down’s syndrome is not a curse. I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Robert Kilroy-Silk, who called him his rescue. positively overflowing!” your best day in your life, isn’t it?” He lit up so many people’s lives. With the new series just launched an “irritating little sh*t”. “I had A2 size paper and art His other biggest fan is Mrs “He was told he would be lucky to in a Welsh castle, Timmy recalls how “The difficulty is when people boards and I was carrying about 50 Mallett. In September he and ●●Utterly Brilliant!: My Life’s reach his teens or his twenties. But he was the fourth celebrity to leave start shouting. It can be intimi- of those in a bag on the back of Lynda celebrated 30 years of Journey by Timmy Mallett £16.99 incredibly he made it to 64, which is after losing a Bushtucker trial to for- dating when other camp-mates the bike panniers. But I had way marriage. SPCK Publishing. To order your still too short. But it was a life richly mer policeman Brian Paddick. As a come up directly to your face. too many and Lorraine and her “I was introduced to her via her copy with free UK lived and, as the doctor at his birth vegetarian, he struggled when he was But I am comfortable with who I husband, who were heading down brother, who was a good friend,” he delivery, please said to our tearful mum, ‘He’ll bring expected to consume cockroaches, am.