Race Across the World viewers will see an emotional moment tonight as Harrison apologises to sister Katie for not doing more when their mum became seriously ill.
The brother and sister duo open up about one of the toughest periods in their lives during the latest leg of the BBC race across Mongolia.
Katie, 21, admits she was left carrying much of the emotional weight when their mum’s health declined.
And Harrison, 23, finally tells his younger sister he feels “guilty” for not stepping up at the time.
The heartfelt chat comes as the remaining teams continue their gruelling journey through Mongolia in a bid to reach the next checkpoint.
Race Across the World’s Harrison apologises to Katie
Tonight’s episode sees the teams travel 1,550km from Ugll to Kharkhorin. Along the way, Katie and Harrison take on a job shovelling coal to earn extra cash.
During the task, Harrison opens up to his sister about how much he appreciates everything she did for their mum.
“You’re good at helping people out when they need help,” he tells Katie. “You were really good with mum with the emotional support.”
He continues: “I was too focused on what I wanted to do. I just wanted to say thank you for being there.”
Harrison then admits the race has made him reflect on the past. He says: “As I’ve heard more and more about how you were there, I feel guilty that I wasn’t there.”
Katie reassures him she does not want him to feel guilty. But she also recalls one memory that has stayed with her for years.
“I do have very specific memories,” she explains.
“One was when an ambulance came to the house and mum was screaming out in pain. I came into your room and tried to tell you and you were like, ‘Well, there’s nothing I can do’.”
Katie says she could then hear Harrison “laughing on the Xbox”.
“I remember just crying my eyes out and felt like why is this affecting me and not him,” she adds. “How is he okay about it all?”
Harrison admits he remembers that day too. Looking back, he says he simply did not know how to process what was happening.
“At the time, I didn’t know how to deal with that so probably didn’t deal with it,” he says.
He then apologises directly to both Katie and their mum, telling his sister: “I’m sorry to you and sorry to mum.”
Katie says hearing Harrison acknowledge everything is “healing”. Harrison also insists he is now someone both she and their mum can rely on.
Race Across the World: What happened to Katie and Harrison’s mum?
Katie and Harrison previously opened up about their mum’s health struggles earlier in the series while travelling from Turkey to Georgia.
They revealed they had spent the last 10 years helping to care for her after she became ill following the breakdown of her marriage.
Their mum was diagnosed with fibromyalgia before later being diagnosed with a slipped disc in her back.
Katie explained she had once wanted to go travelling after leaving school. However, she felt unable to leave home because her mum needed support.
“Mum was at her worst then,” Katie recalled. “I just couldn’t leave mum for an extended period of time.”
She said caring for her involved washing, cooking and even helping her get dressed on difficult days. There were also frequent hospital and emergency visits.
Harrison previously admitted he struggled with the emotional side of the situation as a teenager.
“There is nothing you can do if she’s screaming out in pain apart from hold her hand,” he said.
He also confessed he now feels guilty that Katie carried so much of the emotional burden while he distracted himself with football and Xbox.
Thankfully, the emotional conversation appears to bring the pair even closer together as they continue racing across Asia.
With the competition nearing its end, the siblings are proving they are not just strong teammates, but a much stronger family unit too.
Read more: The tragic story behind Mark and Margo’s Race Across the World appearance
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