Jay McGuinness was swamped with overwhelming emotion as he set foot on his latest spiritual adventure for the BBC’s show Pilgrimage.
The loss of his dear friend and The Wanted bandmate, Tom Parker, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2022, plunged Jay into deep grief, making him question everything he believed in.
Now starring in Pilgrimage: The Road Through The Alps, Jay is on a quest for clarity. This isn’t just any scenic hike; it’s an emotional odyssey delivering highs, lows, and more tears than Jay has ever shed before. “I cried more than I’ve ever cried,” Jay says.
The series kicks off this Easter Sunday and will unveil Jay McGuinness’ three-part story on BBC Two, featuring a diverse posse of celebrities each bringing their unique faiths and viewpoints to the mix.
With Jay on this nearly 300-kilometre journey are TV personality Jeff Brazier, comedian Helen Lederer, The Traitors’ champ Harry Clark, former Britain’s Got Talent star Daliso Chaponda, Paralympian Stefanie Reid, and journalist Nelufar Hedayat.
Together, these familiar faces traverse the breathtaking yet challenging Austrian and Swiss Alps all the way to the hallowed Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland. It’s about digging deep into faith, confronting their sense of self, and perhaps uncovering clarity and camaraderie.
For 34 year old Jay, his participation was tinged with sorrow right from the off. “I had a lot of anticipatory nerves before the show,” he confesses. “I knew I’d talk about Tom Parker at some point during filming.”
Tom wasn’t just any old bandmate for Jay; he’s said himself that Tom was more like a brother. The dynamic duo first skyrocketed to fame in 2009 with their fellow heartthrobs Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, and Nathan Sykes in the smash-hit boyband The Wanted.
After they’d pressed pause on their group journey in 2014, life may have sent them on different paths, but their bond didn’t waver. Then came the bombshell in October 2020: Tom was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an unforgiving and rare brain cancer.
Despite being agnostic, the shock turned Jay toward seeking solace in something greater. Jay reflects, “While Tom was sick, I definitely had moments where I prayed, whether you would call it that,” he says.
“And when he died I suddenly felt like, ‘I wonder if he can hear me now?'” Tragically, Tom was just 33 when he passed away in 2022, leaving his widow Kelsey and their two little ones, Aurelia and Bodhi.
The loss weighed heavily on Jay, even as he began filming the show. It took a heartfelt exchange with his fellow pilgrim Helen before his bottled-up sorrow came flooding out. He reveals, “That was the most poignant conversation I had during the whole experience,”.
It all started when Pilgrimage director Toni Williamson saw the opportunity for Jay to open up about Tom’s passing. “She asked me who I trusted with that and who I wanted to talk to about it,” Jay recalls.
Among the pilgrimage group, Jay found a close confidante in 70 year old Helen. “She’s not afraid to speak her mind, but she knows when to hold back too,” Jay shares.
“I knew we were going to get along the moment I saw her walking up that hill in the beginning. We ended up sharing drinks and stories.”
Throughout the journey, Jay was surprised to find himself healing as he grappled with his beliefs. “The closest I can get to what I am is agnostic. I don’t believe there is a God and I don’t believe that there isn’t,” he admits.
“I believe we’re stuck here in this mortal realm and you only find out if there’s an afterlife when you go beyond the curtain, so I’m really open to there being more.I agreed to go on Pilgrimage – it just sounded like the perfect thing to do.
Grief circled me back around. I had a good hard look at it and I left it behind. I was happy to find value in the here and the now, and seeing everyone else go through their own pilgrimage.”
Raised a Catholic, Jay remembers his enthusiasm for RE at school, but his convictions faded as he matured. “I remember making posters against euthanasia in school,” he recalls. “I was convinced nobody should be allowed a dignified death. Now I think the complete opposite.”
While he may not have discovered God during the show, he did find something else. “I remember thinking during my chat with Helen, ‘If there’s no God, at least there’s this moment of human connection,'” he reflects.
Jay McGuiness reflects on the profound impact of his journey on Pilgrimage, contrasting it with his experience on Strictly Come Dancing, which he won alongside professional dancer Aliona Vilani in 2015.
He muses about the introspective nature of both experiences: “With Strictly [Jay won the show with professional dancer Aliona Vilani in 2015], you delve into the self. With Pilgrimage, you delve into religion and, in doing that, you end up giving away so much about who you are,” he shares.
Initially approaching the pilgrimage with a degree of scepticism and caution, Jay confesses that the barriers eventually fell away. “At first, we were all being careful, but eventually you can’t help but open up.”
The simplicity of their daily routine during filming – minimal phone use and communal meals without distractions – fostered a sense of unity.
The group’s activities were harmoniously aligned as they walked, conversed, and rested together. Reflecting on the evenings, Jay admits, “At night, we’d touch base briefly but honestly, I was exhausted.”