Sam Thompson’s sister Louise has shared her admiration as her younger sibling embarks on an epic charity challenge, especially after recently opening up about being diagnosed with autism. The I’m A Celebrity winner, 32, set off on Monday morning with the aim of transporting the Soccer Aid for UNICEF match ball more than 260 miles—from last year’s venue at London’s Stamford Bridge to this year’s stadium at Manchester’s Old Trafford—over the course of five days. He is expected to run a marathon a day, as well as cycle, to ensure his important cargo is delivered ahead of kick-off on Sunday, June 15. Alongside the physical endurance challenges, Sam will also be managing the additional difficulties of autism and ADHD, both of which he was diagnosed with later in life, in 2023. “I am immensely proud,” she told The Standard. “I mean, I know we’re only on day one and he hasn’t finished it yet, but I think the fact that he has even taken on this incredible challenge is such a big deal. I think he’s a little nuts because he’s not someone who has ever done anything like this before, not even close — no one in my family has ever done anything like this. “I think it says it’s really important to do things for other people and for causes outside of yourself, and he’s got this incredible platform.” Her pride continued as she praised the way in which he had embraced his latest diagnosis. She said: “I think it’s really cool that he’s willing to be open about things that some people would not be so comfortable sharing because it will help make loads of people feel better about themselves and better about feeling different,” Louise told The Standard. “With his ADHD and also with his autism, he has managed to channel it in a way where he gets to do things that he loves and do them really well. That’s kind of his real strong suit — he’s found what he loves and thrown himself so deep into it. “People used to judge him for all of these silly videos. Even a few years ago, people who were on reality TV shows — you know, the reality TV show that we were on — people would turn their noses up at that sort of thing. “But he kept going with it because he loved it and knew it was connecting him with the right sort of people who loved that light entertainment. Now everybody else is jumping on it — it’s so funny. “I love that people embrace their differences because it’s cool. I think he will struggle with just this running thing because of the longevity and trying to stay focused for that long, but I believe there will be some surprises, like people coming to show support, which I think he will need a lot to keep him on the straight and narrow and maybe provide a few laughs along the way.” You can get behind Thompson and donate to his Match Ball Mission for Soccer Aid for Unicef now, by visiting https://www.socceraid.org.uk/challenge This year, thanks to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, every donation made to Soccer Aid for Unicef will be doubled – up to £5 million.