Race Across the World's Jo Gardiner Dies One Year After Son

“To us, she was more than all of these things. She was our family, our joy, our safe place and our absolute treasure,” they added. “We know how deeply Jo was loved, and we take comfort in knowing that her laughter, her courage, her kindness and her wonderfully outrageous spirit will live on in the many people whose lives she touched.”

In addition to asking for privacy, Jo’s loved ones asked that people honor her life by raising a glass, telling funny stories, laughing loudly and treating life as an adventure. 

As they put it, “She was one of a kind. There will never be another her.”

Jo’s passing comes just over a year after her son Sam’s car veered off the road in Manchester, England, while he was home visiting with his family. He was taken to the hospital to treat life-threatening injuries where he later died.

“Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special,” Jo and Sam’s father Andrew Gardiner shared at the time. “As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.”

Sam’s parents—who, per The Independent, also share a son named Charlie—also spoke to his and Jo’s experience on the second season of  Race Across the World, which saw the mother-son pair rave across Central and South America.

Following Jo’s death, the BBC series paid tribute to her and Sam’s journey together. 

“Millions of people remembered their transformative journey across Latin America in 2020 and we hold that memory in our hearts as we fondly recall Jo's passion for life, her kindness, her strength, and above all her utter devotion to Sam and her family,” the series wrote in a statement shared to X. “At the time of filming, Sam described his mum as amazing - and that is how we will always remember her.”

The statement continued, “Jo became the matriarch of the Race Across the World cast family, she leaves a lasting legacy in the many lives that she touched, both through the series and beyond. It was a privilege to share her story and she will be deeply missed.”