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Olly Murs in tears as he completes endurance feat

Getty Singer Olly Murs crosses the finish line crying and hugging a woman after a five-day 400km challenge finishing at London Stadium, east London, marking Soccer Aid for Unicef's 20th Anniversary.Getty
Olly Murs cries into his wife Amelia's arms

Olly Murs broke down in tears after finishing his Soccer Aid challenge, which he said had surpassed all his expectations.

The 42-year-old singer-songwriter crossed the finish line at the London Stadium in Stratford in east London earlier, wrapping up his gruelling five-day Into The Unknown challenge.

Murs took on a 249-mile journey from Manchester to London by running, cycling and rowing. Each day's route was kept secret until just hours before he set out.

He has raised more than £830,000 for children's charity Unicef, which organises Soccer Aid.

PA Singer Olly Murs crosses the finish line with his hands in the air wearing orange shorts and a black topPA
He crossed the finish line at the London Stadium after the five-day challenge

Speaking to ITV's This Morning, Murs thanked the public for donating, adding that their support had kept him going.

He said: "I am in bits. That run from central London to here was so painful, but I just kept thinking, I gotta get to the end.

"Thank you to everyone. The donations have been amazing, and it surpassed my expectations how amazing this has been.

"To be given the opportunity from Soccer Aid, who have been an amazing part of my life, so to be able to do this and to raise that sort of money, I'm just really proud of myself and proud of the fact that Soccer Aid, still to this day, is such a huge charity that does so much with Unicef to help kids around the world, it's amazing."

The singer added that the first thing he was going to do was see his children and "give them a big hug" before going home and getting some pizza.

The third and longest day of the challenge, on Wednesday, was dogged by torrential rain and an unexpected reroute caused by a fire.

Murs is due to compete in a Soccer Aid charity fundraising match on 31 May for Team England alongside actor Tom Hiddleston, former England player Wayne Rooney and Adolescence star Owen Cooper.

The singer is best known for his chart-topping hits including Heart Skips A Beat, Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker.

Murs will chronicle his journey in a documentary on ITV on 29 May.

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