Most would agree that a honeymoon has to be different from a normal holiday - usually more lavish, exotic or far-flung. But what if your normal holidays already feature five-star hotels and luxury resorts?
Model, presenter and actress Kelly Brook laughs about how she opted to slum it while 'honeymooning' with Jeremy Parisi, the Italian model and actor she married two years ago.
'We spent our honeymoon on a 26-hour bus journey in South America. We hadn't really had a honeymoon at all until we did this trip - apart from a weekend at Camber Sands.
But we do go on lovely holidays normally, so what was a honeymoon to us? This was different. When it was first suggested, the answer was a no. I said to my agent, "I've travelled the world in a really lovely way. Why would I do that again, and suffer?" But when I thought about it, I said, "Jeremy, babe, it's like a free honeymoon for us. It will certainly be different."
This is how glamour-girl Kelly, now 44, ended up signing on for the latest celebrity version of the BBC's Race Across The World, bringing Jeremy, 38, along for the adventure (and to carry the stash of coins she would need to access public toilets en route).
Racing Across South America
Fans of the show will know the format. Couples - whether husband and wife teams, mother and child, siblings or just friends - race across a continent, hoping to be first to reach a final destination. This time it's South America, from the Amazon to the Andes, and Kelly's rivals are presenter Jeff Brazier and son Freddie, Ted Lasso's Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen and BBC Radio 2's Scott Mills and his husband Sam.
At the start of their epic journey, their phones are confiscated and they are given only £1,000 in cash, which has to cover all their travel, meals and accommodation. And Kelly might be the most unlikely contestant yet. She cites that gruelling 26-hour bus journey as the stuff of her worst nightmares.
'I remember watching the first celebrity series and seeing Harry Judd and his mum do an eight-hour train ride. At the time I thought, "I couldn't do that." Cut to me on a bus in South America?'
It's hard to imagine the rather glorious Kelly on a bus at all, never mind in searing heat, squished in like a sardine. She tells me she did put her foot down at Jeremy's suggestion they go for the cheapest seats (they upgraded to a bed, of sorts), but still. We can't reveal how they get on (the show has already been filmed) but she does say the whole experience was 'life-changing'. The biggest evidence? She's started taking public transport to her job at Heart radio in London, which was a big no-no before.
Overcoming Anxiety Through Travel
'The whole trip pushed me out of my comfort zone and my anxiety levels are so much lower now. I even get the Tube! I never used to. I'd get quite paranoid about not being able to escape if people came up to me. It's not that I don't like talking to people, but you can feel a bit trapped.
'I used to get a cab every day to work just so I could get out if I needed to. Now? I can do it. Even if we stop in a tunnel I can cope because I say to myself, "Listen, you survived a 26-hour bus journey."'
She is aware how diva-like this seems. 'I know it sounds silly. People at work say, "But we all get the Tube every day," but for me it was massive. It's changed my life hugely. And I'll tell you what. It's saving me a fortune.'
And we could be seeing more of Mr and Mrs Parisi on our screens. The pair are in talks for a new reality show, following them as they set up home in his native Italy. Which is another epic adventure altogether. Will it involve public transport, though? 'Well, it could now,' she grins.
The 'Celebrity Race Across The World' Honeymoon
Kelly Brook says that starring in Celebrity Race Across The World with husband Jeremy Parisi took her out of her comfort zone - forcing her to rough it on trains and buses. The model, 44, says she used to be "too paranoid" for public transport but embraced it during the challenge.
And she told how she felt confident enough in herself to don an "unflattering" jumpsuit during the 12,500km race across South America. But she admitted she still asked for an upgrade on an overnight bus during the race, to the disappointment of model Jeremy, who didn't want to spend the extra cash in case they ran out.
Kelly told the Radio Times: "The suggestion (to take part) came from my agent. Jeremy and I binge-watched every series over a weekend. I didn’t think I could sit on a train for eight hours without my phone! But we’d just got married and hadn’t had a honeymoon, so the timing was right.
"It was something we could do together, completely out of our comfort zone. Jeremy, who was born in Italy and grew up in France, is brilliant at languages. (And) I was confident enough to be a bit more open about who I am. For the last few weeks, I wore a really unflattering but very comfy jumpsuit.
"Equally, if I wanted an upgrade on an overnight bus, it wasn’t about being a diva, it was about being comfortable! I just felt sorry for Jeremy, because he’s very competitive and didn’t want to spend money. Lots of friends joked about our marriage surviving this kind of test, but we’ve been together for ten years and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. He was always going to be the calculator, while I was the compass."
Jeremy went on: "We’d done so much travelling together, but nothing this special, and we're a good team. The highlight for me was discovering new cultures. And I'm less shy now. I spoke to so many people during the race that as soon as we got home, I started chatting to people in the street. I'm less grumpy. Less French!"
Kelly went on: "Not having my phone was amazing. Going off the beaten track, living like a local. You can never underestimate the kindness of strangers. I never travelled on public transport because I was so paranoid about being recognised, but I got back from the race and hopped straight on the tube. I get buses and trains everywhere now, and it's so liberating."
The Classist Barriers of Acting in the UK
Kelly Brook found some success in Hollywood in the likes of movies Piranha 3D and Ripper, and hit TV series Smallville, and even signed with Keira Knightley’s agency. However, upon her return home to the UK, the model struggled to land more acting roles to fulfil her dream, apart from a brief stint in ITV’s Midsomer Murders.
The star has now shared she feels “classism” got in the way of her acting hopes, as she doesn’t “have the right acting pedigree” to be cast in any major roles in the UK.
Kelly recalled to the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine: “I kind of had to start again because I’d been in LA and in London everything had moved on in our industry. I signed with Keira Knightley’s agency, then my accountant said, ‘Oh my God, you need to get a job,’ but I couldn’t get acting work in the UK.”
The Heart FM presenter added: “It’s a closed door on me. I’m too well known. Or I’m too well known for being who I am.” After a conversation with her agent, Kelly realised she could only get cast in soaps.
She claimed: “We’re very classist in the UK. I can either be in EastEnders or Corrie, and that’s it. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with soaps, but those kinds of shows require a huge commitment.”
Earlier this year, Kelly revealed she has no plans to return to Hollywood, as she prefers to be around her home comforts with husband, model Jeremy Parisi.
She told The Daily Star: "I’m going to leave the acting thing. I don’t like being away from home for too long.
"I like sleeping in my own bed and I’ve got my dog to look after. I was a terrible actress. I find it quite exhausting."
The star also said that due to her happy marriage, she now can’t comprehend acting as someone else’s love interest on TV or in a film.
She admitted: "I can’t imagine turning around to Jeremy and saying, ‘I’m off for six weeks and I’m going to pretend to be the lover of Ryan Reynolds, is that OK?’
"I don’t think that would bode well. I don’t think my husband would be down with that.
"It was definitely a good time of my life. But you have to give up a lot of your life, I can’t just run off and be an actress any more."
A New Reality Show for the Happy Couple
Celebrity Race Across the World stars Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy Parisi are putting their marriage in front of the cameras.
The couple signed up to Celebrity Race Across the World series two where they will race against other celebrities and their travel companions. It looks fabulous travelling the world but Race Across the World is one of the toughest shows, where the contestants must travel to the checkpoints on a budget while grappling with sleep deprivation and food rations.
The one thing the couple do argue over on a Sunday won't be a problem for them on Celebrity Race Across the World. Brook said they row over the washing machine but luckily for them they will be leaving this at home. She told The Guardian this year: "Jeremy is an energy saver, so he’ll always put the 15-minute wash on. I argue that’s not long enough to wash anything and examine every T-shirt for the remnants of a stain. We have that debate at least once a week."
Of course, the glamour model turned Heart FM radio host is no stranger to TV as she has built up an impressive showbiz career over the years. This year, Brook quit acting after 28 years and a stint in Hollywood. Her acting credits include: The Italian Job, Midsomer Murder, Smallville and Moving Wallpaper.
Brook told The Daily Star: "I'm going to leave the acting thing. I don't like being away from home for too long. I like sleeping in my own bed and I've got my dog to look after. I was a terrible actress. I find it quite exhausting."
Instead, Brook is teaming up with her husband Parisi for reality TV and we take a look at their blossoming relationship.
Brook has had good fun with reality TV in the past including her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, The Masked Dancer, Celebrity Juice, Britain's Got Talent and more. Now the radio star has introduced her husband to reality TV.
While they previously have kept their romance low-key in the spotlight, the couple have been busy filming together.
Celebrity Race Across the World isn't the only reality TV show the lovebirds have been working on. Brook will also host reality ITV show La Dolce Vita alongside her husband where they transform Parisi's farm in rural Italy.
It's been all change for the couple as they sold up Brook's £1.45million farmhouse last year and they made the move to London. In May this year, the model revealed they have been preparing for life on the Italian farming show.
Discussing the series, she told MailOnline: "He's got a little farm house in Italy that is in need of renovation. It's an olive oil farm so we will be getting involved and pressing olives and learning how to cook pizza, I'm learning Italian. You get to meet the family and there's some very colourful characters in there."
Brook and Parisi were married in a stunning Italian wedding in 2022 and their romance has been totally transformed. The model explained how marriage has changed their lives for the better, seeing them have a more "simplified" style of living.
"Jeremy and I now we are married we have definitely simplified our lives," she told the newspaper this year. "My house is very minimal now. As long as he has a gym area he is happy. He doesn't get too involved, but he does like it more minimal. He's Italian so he is going to have great taste."
They are devoted dog owners to their King Charles Cavalier, half poodle Teddy who they love walking in Hamstead Heath, in London. "We like to get out before the mad rush of dog walkers," Brook shared.
Brook and Parisi's relationship goes right back to when Parisi first slid into her Instagram DMs in 2014. Prior to their reality TV stints, Brook has kept “elements” of their romance out of the spotlight to “protect” Parisi and the privacy of their relationship.
Although she admitted she would love to “tell everything” about their romance, Brook explained the couple's decision back in 2022. She told Fabulous magazine: “As much as I’m a big mouth and like to tell everything that I’ve got going on, he’s the complete opposite. And I think you have to respect your partner’s wishes. Everyone wants an element of privacy. It’s not about hiding things, it’s just about having moments that are yours and not anyone else’s."
She added: “When you’ve got someone in the family who’s in the public eye and has been for so long, there’s so much of you that gets shared with the world. And sometimes your family gets quite protective when things are shared before you want them to be. So I have to do everything I can to protect them and their feelings.”
