The UK’s first ITV Gladiators champion will take on a 24-hour rowathon in a Romford shopping centre in aid of Comic Relief.

Dagenham-based Weininger Irwin will begin his row at the Liberty Shopping Centre at 6pm on March 17, finishing at the same time the next day, on his 59th birthday.

Funds raised will go towards tackling poverty, violence and discrimination, and this year, organisations supporting people in Ukraine.

The avid rower founded rowing group Cool Rowings last year, with the aim of “unearthing talent” to bring “diversity” and “edge” to the Great British Rowing Team and to get seniors into the sport.

But the challenge ahead is one he is training hard to achieve by rowing for around eight hours at night.

He said: “The distance isn’t the objective, it’s to just get through the 24-hour row.”

Weininger has set up a JustGiving page with the goal of raising £1,500, a total he is already halfway to reaching thanks to 29 supporters.

The 58-year-old, who has become a community exercise officer since he won ITV's hit show, said the support so far has been “amazing”.

The rowathon will be made up of 55-minute stints of exercise and five-minute breaks, with Weininger's friends set to come and offer moral support.

Two spare rowing machines will be in place so the public has a chance to participate.

Weininger will also use the day to raise awareness of prostate cancer and knife crime, he said.

In 2020, a week before his birthday, Weininger was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Although the pandemic slowed down his treatment, he is now in the clear.

He said: “If I can give my time and also raise awareness of prostate cancer and knife crime that will be fantastic.

“These are two things that are killing us, and in regards to knife crime I think we need to show that there is a community that cares and I hope it will help bring light to the issue and also help start initiatives to help these youngers as a lot of the time it’s senseless killings.”

Donations can be made on the day or at the JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rednoseday22-cool-rowings