Race Across the World Star Betty breaks down in tears as she opens up about having no womb amid MRKH diagnosis

One of the contestants in Race Across the World has shared a personal health struggle that impacts her self-esteem. Betty, competing on the BBC One show with her brother James, is aiming to win prize money by travelling across East Asia and South East Asia without using mobile phones or aircraft. Along their journey, the siblings have faced many emotional moments, but a recent heartfelt conversation between them particularly touched viewers.

The 26-year-old became emotional as she disclosed her MRKH diagnosis, tearfully explaining, "It means that I don’t have a uterus, I don’t have a womb, and I only have one kidney as well." She said: "My frustrations and down moments come periodically. I want to be resilient and brave and whatever, but my condition I do believe has made me have this mindset of being negative and not really liking the person I am."

She added: e added "You’re told you’re going to marry, you’re going to have a family, and from a young age when that’s taken away from you, it does put doubts in your mind. Doubts in your purpose as a person, I suppose."

The rare disorder, known as Rokitansky Syndrome, results in an underdeveloped reproductive system. Although MRKH is congenital, Betty was only diagnosed at 16.

Her brother tried to comfort her, saying: "It’s okay, you know, honestly I forget that you can’t have children." She responded: "Me and you have never even had a conversation about it, have we? It’s definitely made me develop, I think, a lot of the negative attributes that I have like overthinking and wanting to feel in control because I just feel like at 16 something was taken away from me that I couldn’t control."

She added: "So, when you’ve been saying 'everything happens for a reason,' I can’t believe that." James became emotional as he realised the depth of his sister's struggles. He hugged her, saying: "Yes, that makes more sense now. I get that my philosophy is 'everything happens for a reason,' but to you, obviously not. And that being positive is not always the best way to deal with things."

James later broke down, saying: "To hear that was tough. It was the first time we’ve talked about it, and I have heard it from Betty herself, and it’s only now that I realize how much it does affect her and… Excuse me, there’s a frog in my throat."

He then burst into tears, and the camera crew stepped in to comfort him. After regaining his composure, he added: "Brave is now probably an understatement, I’ll have to think of a new word for her."

Viewers praised Betty for raising awareness about her condition, with many moved to tears by the scene. One fan on social media wrote: “Omg I’m devastated for our Betty, what she has gone through is beyond belief. The way James needed a hug from the cameraman too, I’m in bits.” Another said: “Betty opening up about her health condition to James & to see him being so supportive was such a moving moment in this weeks Race Across the World. I'm so glad one of the camera crew gave him a hug. The change in their dynamic has been so lovely to see!”

Responding to the heartwarming support she received, Betty said: “Cannot thank Race Across The World (enough) for showing my story in this way. And our crew for everything they did for us, including hugging James on behalf of the nation.”

What is MRKH?

According to the NHS, MRKH is a condition where a female has the usual external genitals, but without a womb. It's also known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH syndrome). The cause is not clear, but girls and women with Rokitansky syndrome/MRKH have XX chromosomes. Often the first sign of Rokitansky syndrome is that a girl does not start having periods.

MRKH affects 1 in every 5,000 women, according to the NHS.