Race Across the World's Eugenie and Isabel 'clear up' taxi controversy

Watch Race Across the World's Eugenie and Isabel 'clear up' taxi controversy

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Race Across the World contestants Eugenie and Isabel have set the record straight after being accused of stealing a taxi, insisting the car was actually up for grabs.

The mother and daughter duo are one of the pairs competing on the BBC travel reality series, which sees hopefuls racing 15,000km from Japan to Lombok on a budget of around £1,400. They sparked outrage in a recent episode when they were seen hopping into a cab apparently meant for fellow racers Stephen and Viv, whizzing away with smiles on their faces as the retired couple lagged behind.

But during an appearance on ITV's This Morning, Eugenie and Isabel said it wasn't what it seemed.

What, how and why?

The pair were on the programme along with the other contenders - Stephen and Viv, brother and sister James and Betty and best friends Alfie and Owen. Presenter Josie Gibson couldn't resist quizzing them about swiping the car out from under Stephen and Viv's noses, but Isabel replied: "We did not steal the taxi! We did not steal the taxi."

Mum Eugenie chimed in to say it was time to "clear this matter up". "It was not definitively anybody's taxi," the teacher explained. "I happened to get into it first. And I coaxed Isabel to get into it.

"Now what you don't see, is that we actually asked if we could all get in, but we were told no. If we didn't get it, they would have got in.

In the episode, Eugenie and trainee clinical scientist Isabel had been seen jumping into the taxi as they left the checkpoint hotel, while Stephen and Viv looked on in shock. "Oh great, now they're nicking our taxi," Stephen told his wife. "Jeez, it's ridiculous isn't it?"

However, Stephen said on This Morning that didn't have an impact on the race. But he laughed: "It was our taxi, 100%. No doubt about it."

"But genuinely, it made no difference to the race at all," he added, telling Gibson he didn't hold any grudges.

Eugenie and Isabel also opened up about the fact that viewers have seen them bickering on their travels. "We love one another," Eugenie said.

"We have been meeting people that say, 'Are you still talking?' We say, 'Yes!'"

What else did the Race Across the World contestants say?

Siblings James and Betty chatted about how the contest had brought them closer together, particularly after Betty opened up about her health condition. Viewers recently saw the 25-year-old tearfully talking about how she had been diagnosed with MRKH Syndrome (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser), a disorder that affects the female reproductive system, and that she has no womb and only one kidney.

As she talked about it during the race, James, 21, broke down in tears and asked someone - who appeared to be a member of the crew - for a hug.

Discussing it on This Morning, he said: "We hadn't spoken about it closely like that before. I knew what it was and I was aware of it, but to hear how she feels about it and how she feels about herself and what she can and can't do was a little bit more difficult. That's where you saw the more emotional side of me."

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