TV couple Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan reveal they 'nearly froze to death' after becoming stranded in their Range Rover during a freak storm
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Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan 'nearly froze to death' in their Range Rover on Friday 13th.
The TV couple - who have been married since 2008 - had been to a Christmas party at the onset of the weekend but took to social media in the hours that followed to reveal they had become stranded on the way back when their SatNav failed.
A joint post on Facebook read: 'How was your Friday the 13th? Let's just say ours wasn’t great…
'Okay, stop: so you know we hate thirst traps. And we loathe sympathy traps. You’re never gonna see us with our t*** out in our undercrackers.
'Of course we have dramas (just like other people) but we keep our stuff quiet. Normally….
'So please read this post assured that it’s here for one reason, and for one reason only: to profile - and show gratitude - to an army of people who (last night) came to our assistance in dire circumstances.
'So what happened? Well, we nearly froze to death. Literally.'
TV presenters Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan 'nearly froze to death' in their Range Rover on Friday 13th
The TV couple - who have been married since 2008 - had been to a Christmas party at the onset of the weekend but became stranded on the way back
The former I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestants lost all signal and 'slid into a ditch' with no option that would allow them to call for help.
The post continued: 'Having attended a Christmas party at Nomi (in Harcourt) with our Kabin pals Amanda and Geoff, we set off into the night to drive back to Haliburton.
'It was 10.30pm. The weather, as we left Nomi, was totally okay, otherwise we wouldn’t have left.
'But then - from nowhere - a storm landed. We lost phone signal about 10:45pm… and then our GPS failed, into the bargain. We were totally lost, with no going back.
'Moments later, we slid into a ditch from which there was no escape. With no phone signal, we were gubbed. We couldn’t call for help, and the temperature in our truck was collapsing.'
The interior designers tried and failed to activate the emergency SOS button on their vehicle several times and despite becoming 'like ice poles' they were careful about heating themselves with the engine.
The post continued: 'FYI - we have an emergency SOS button in the truck, but it just wouldn’t activate. For several hours. By which point we were like ice poles and beginning to feel dizzy.
'We switched the engine on and off intermittently - to try and stay warm - but we were worried we’d poison ourselves with carbon monoxide, even though we had cleared the exhaust. We’re normally VERY practical. And not prone to drama. But OMG, this was very scary.'
In the end, the SOS button kicked in and they signalled for help before they fell asleep, only to be awoken by volunteer firefighters and a police officer in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The post added: 'Eventually, our vehicle’s SOS button finally triggered, and we were able to convey our distress. But then we fell asleep, our truck by this time almost completely buried in snow. At 5.30am, we were awakened by veritable angels.
They explained: 'From nowhere - a storm landed. We lost phone signal about 10:45pm… and then our GPS failed, into the bargain. We were totally lost, with no going back
The interior designers tried and failed to activate the emergency SOS button on their vehicle several times became 'like ice poles' as the temperature continued to drop
The pair were keen to reiterate that they hadn't told the story for their own sake, and they wanted to express their 'extreme gratitude' to those who saved them
The former I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestants lost all signal and 'slid into a ditch' with no option that would allow them to call for help
In the end, the SOS button kicked in and they signalled for help before they fell asleep, only to be awoken by volunteer firefighters and a police officer in the early hours of Saturday morning
'Three volunteer firefighters, two paramedics and an incredibly helpful cop called Josh had - thankfully - been alerted and dispatched by Range Rover to dig us out.
'After being checked by the paramedics, Josh got us home safely. By 7am the shit show was over. We were safe.'
But the pair were keen to reiterate that they hadn't told the story for their own sake, and they wanted to express their 'extreme gratitude' to those who saved them.
The post concluded: 'So, as we said at the top of this lengthy post, this isn’t a sympathy trap - we are FINE. Totally.
'This isn't about us: it's a post designed to show our EXTREME gratitude to those that were involved in our rescue. The three volunteer firefighters. Both paramedics. And Josh, our incredibly helpful cop, who ensured we got home safely.'
Colin and Justin have been together as a couple since 1986, and first found fame when they hosted Million Pound Property Experiment for the BBC in 2003.
Throughout the 2000s, they presented a number of other property programmes including How Not to Decorate for Channel 5 and Colin and Justin's Home Show for the now-defunct UKTV Style.
They braved the jungle in 2009 when Gino D'Acampo emerged as winner of the series, and later hosted a number of programmes in Australia in Canada.
In late 2022, they returned to Channel 5 where they fronted Colin and Justin's Hotel Hell.
