Boyzone's Shane Lynch will be among the "seven well-known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs" hitting the trail in Portugal for the new series of BBC Two's Pilgrimage.
Announcing the new series, the BBC said: "The seven celebrity pilgrims taking part in Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (working title) are actor Su Pollard, who was raised Church of England; Jewish actress Rita Simons; Pentecostal born-again Christian Shane Lynch of Boyzone fame; reality TV star and influencer Vicky Pattison, who is agnostic; Bobby Seagull, a practising Catholic, maths whizz and TV personality; Nabil Abdulrashid, a comedian and practising Muslim; and Paralympian skier Millie Knight, who is non-practising Church of England.
"Their destination is the Sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where in 1917 three local shepherd children experienced several apparitions of the Virgin Mary. What was once a small village is now one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world.
"For the first time ever, the celebrity pilgrims are on a deadline: they need to arrive in time for a major celebration, which ends with a spectacular night-time candlelit vigil, attended by nearly 70,000 pilgrims who have travelled from across the world to celebrate the story of the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
"Tackling this 364km pilgrimage over 15 days, the celebrity pilgrims will travel through the heart of northern Portugal's stunning landscapes. Carrying their own backpacks, they will sleep in rough and ready pilgrim hostels, a basic campsite, as well as a working fire station. It's a tough challenge, so will they all make it to Fatima on time?"
Discussing his participation in the three-part series, Lynch said: "I am a Pentecostal born-again Christian. My relationship with God is very tight and I love it.
"The reason why I'm taking on this pilgrimage is just to find a bit of clarity in my life. I want to put myself into a position that I've never experienced before and hopefully find out some amazing and emotional things, so this pilgrimage for me is all about the knowledge I can gather, and about my God.
"This will be a big walk for sure, for many reasons."
The spring start date for the new series has yet to be announced.
