Sophie Ellis-Bextor starts 24-hour kitchen disco danceathon for Children In Need

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has begun her epic 24-hour kitchen disco ‘danceathon’ for Children In Need.

Sophie has been documenting her charity effort on her Instagram Stories, and was joined by veteran crooner Tony Christie as she kicked off her danceathon challenge at 9.25am on Tuesday.

Next up was Dermot O’Leary and Edith Bowman, who boogied along with Sophie in the replica of her kitchen at the Radio 2 studios.

A rail of glittery clothes was located in the corner of the kitchen, and the singer has been wearing a bright pink sequinned gown, complete with feathers, for her first few hours of the epic challenge.

Zoe Ball, who hosts the Radio 2 breakfast show, announced Sophie’s incredible attempt on Monday, and less than 24 hours later, the Murder on the Dancefloor hitmaker was already starting the challenge.

She began her hugely successful Sophie’s Kitchen Disco sessions on Instagram Live over the Covid-19 lockdown, which proved to be a much-needed boost for her fans and followers, as she and husband Richard Jones danced and sang in their kitchen at home in west London.

Sophie, who is mum to five boys - Sonny, 16, Kit, 12, Ray, eight, Jesse, five, and two-year-old Mickey - has also hosted several of her Kitchen Disco shows on Radio 2, and BBC Sounds.

And the 42-year-old singer was looking forward to following in the footsteps of Joe Wicks and Rylan as she embarks on a 24-hour challenge to raise money for charity.

“I love to dance, I love to ‘Kitchen Disco’, but can I keep going for a whole 24 hours? I’m sure I can for BBC Children In Need… with the support of Radio 2’s fantastic listeners!” she said in a statement.

Last year, Joe Wicks completed a 24-hour PE Challenge, which raised more than £2.5 million for Children In Need, and in 2019, Rylan undertook a 24-hour karaoke marathon, which raked in more than £2 million.

Head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas was full of praise for the singer, and said she was excited to bring Sophie’s hit Kitchen Disco to the airwaves.

“Sophie’s Kitchen Disco has uplifted everyone and spread so much joy over these past 18 months, so what better way to keep the nation entertained than with an extended Kitchen Disco Danceathon for BBC Children In Need 2021,” she gushed.

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