Andrew Clifford and his daughter Molly came second in the BBC's Race Across the World
Spoiler – contains details of the final episode
A father and daughter team from County Londonderry have clinched second place in the BBC's hugely-popular show Race Across The World.
Molly Clifford and her dad Andrew, from Maghera, completed the 7,500-mile (12,000km) scamper across Europe and Asia, describing it as an "absolutely amazing experience".
In the final leg of the race they were given directions that saw them take the opposite way of their intended destination, and that sealed their fate.
Speaking of the experience, Andrew said: "When I'm long gone, in 60 years time Molly will be able to say to her own kids, 'me and your grandad ran around the world'. And what a memory to leave."
Molly Clifford and her father Andrew said being on the show was "the experience of a lifetime"
Andrew also revealed that just after the show ended, he had another battle on his hands – a serious autoimmune condition that initially left him partially paralysed.
Race Across The World sees pairs travel across land and sea, with flying, smartphones, and credit cards all banned.
Using the budget of a one-way airfare, teams travelled thousands of miles, working local jobs and relying on the kindness of strangers to reach checkpoints and ultimately win a cash prize.
In the first episode of the series, five teams were tasked with reaching their first checkpoint, starting the race in Palermo, Sicily.
The checkpoint they were given was Fiskardo, a village on the Greek island of Kefalonia.
The contestants race across land and sea, without flying, smartphones, or credit cards
His daughter said that it was very difficult, coming up to the last leg.
"We had got everything we wanted out of the race, we had seen the world, but in the last episode we were essentially pointed in the wrong direction.
"When we realised what had happened that was very difficult at the time.
"But I was so glad to have my daddy by my side who pulled me out of it. I was quite down but daddy was really there for me."
She said the pair finished the gruelling race with "smiles on our faces".
For Andrew, a geography teacher by trade, the show has fulfilled a boyhood dream.
"I had always wanted to backpack when I was younger, but to be honest I didn't have the money, and then life happens and you move on," he said.
"I had always been a huge fan of the show, and Molly and I put in the application as a bit of a joke, and it just snowballed from there."
Andrew said the final was "amazing" even though they came second
Molly and Andrew watched the final alongside family and friends in Walsh's hotel in Maghera
The final took place on Thursday night and Andrew and Molly gathered with family and friends to watch it in Walsh's Hotel in Maghera.
Just before the credits rolled it emerged that Mid-Ulster's famous father-and-daughter duo had been runners-up.
"Of course we've regrets over where we've come, but do you know something? It's been an absolutely amazing experience, unforgettable," Andrew said.
"Unfortunately we couldn't finish the game, things didn't go our way, but we're fairly pragmatic about it because, by God, we had such a brilliant time."
Andrew and Molly said they were so glad to have the other by their side
The elation of the second place victory, however, was short-lived as just days after arriving back home, Andrew became very ill.
He developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare but serious autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. It is often triggered by an infection.
"My muscles stopped working, I was basically on a walking frame and my wife Kate had to feed me. I spent weeks in hospital," he said.
Speaking about her father's illness, Molly said: "We had come through this incredible experience and for this to happen to daddy – to go from such a high to this low was difficult.
"It was scary, but thankfully he came through it eventually."
Andrew, however, is "very philosophical about it".
"It was something that happened, but I look at it like this – TV show is a microcosm of life. There's up and downs.
"We had some lows but what incredible highs – that will never leave us."
Andrew developed a serious autoimmune disorder when he arrived back home
Molly said to "go from such a high to this low was difficult" after her dad became ill
Andrew said that watching the final episode of the show in their home town with friends and family was "very special".
"We would have loved to have taken the victory for them, but we know they're proud.
"To do this with my daughter by my side, that's all that matters to me, and we always carried Maghera with us wherever we went."
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