James Cracknell appears on Celebrity Mastermind: Olympic rower's cycling accident and ex-marriage to GB News star Bev Turner explained
Olympic rower James Cracknell takes to the famous Mastermind chair tonight (January 19).
The gold medal-winning athlete will be facing Clive Myrie’s questions in the hot seat this evening as he takes on his specialist subject of Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin.
Cracknell is best known as one of the most notable rowers in the country, having won a double Olympic gold medal and six world championship titles. He also claimed victory in the 2019 Boat Race for Cambridge University, a feat that came after a near-fatal accident nine years prior.
Here’s everything you need to know about the famous athlete.
What happened to James Cracknell in his 2010 cycling accident?
Cracknell was left seriously injured after being involved in a cycling accident in 2010 amid a challenge to cycle, row, swim and run and Los Angeles to New York in a span of 18 days.
The accident happened in Arizona, when a petrol tanker hit him from behind while he was cycling. Cracknell was initially in a coma and was left with a brain injury which eventually caused him to develop epilepsy, personality changes, and a loss of smell and taste.
Cracknell later said that he was saved from further serious or possibly even fatal injury by wearing a cycling helmet at the time of the crash. He has since went on to advocate for the widespread use of helmets.
When was James Cracknell married to Bev Turner?
James was formerly married to television and radio presenter Beverley Turner from 2002 until 2019. The couple’s 17-year marriage saw them welcome three children together - a son and two daughters.
They announced their separation in March 2019. Beverley is known to viewers of GB News. The media star currently works as the channel’s US Correspondent working on The Late Show Live from Washington D.C.
Beverley previously opened up on what lead to their split in the years following his cycling accident. She explained that his injury had made him susceptible to aggressive and irritable moods, which put a strain on their relationship. She also explained that his relentless pursuit of returning to rowing after his injury with his 2019 Boat Race triumph also caused to pair to drift apart.
She wrote in The Times: “As any woman will admit, there comes a time when you are sick of waking up alone on holiday because these alpha males are already at the laptop or on the rowing machine.”
Cracknell eventually remarried in 2021, when he tied the knot to Jordan Connell. His ex-wife has been supportive of Cracknell and his new marriage, writing on Twitter (now X) at the time: “Huge congratulations from us both to @jamescracknell who gets married today to a wonderful woman who makes him happy. Marriage, brain injury and divorce was never Plan A. But to anyone currently in the dark, the sun WILL come out again one day.”