Spencer Matthews reveals he finally feels ‘part of his family again’ following desert challenge – after years of his parents’ ‘disappointment’ in him due to his drinking

Spencer Matthews has revealed he finally feels ‘part of his family’ again after his epic desert challenge.

The former Made in Chelsea star, 36, is back in the UK after running a staggering 30 marathons in 30 days in the scorching heat of the Jordanian desert.

And Spencer has officially collected his money a staggering £511,870.46 for Global’s Make Some Noise.

After achieving his incredible goal, he shared how it helped him overcome the years of “disappointment” his family – including his parents – felt in him because of his drinking.

Spencer is now sober after a “dark period in his life” when he drank heavily and it negatively affected his physical and mental health.

He told The Mirror: ‘I feel like I’m part of the family again. My family has never been so proud of me and I’ve been longing for that. When I had that dark period in my life with the drink… you can tell when your parents are disappointed.

‘I’ve lived with a lot of disappointments within my family. Love, but disappointment. What a shame that you’re not living up to the potential that we know you have. What a shame that you go out so much and don’t put time into who you could be.

“But now there are only proud hugs. My family is incredible, they have never shut me out or excluded me and it has always been good between us. It is just better now. I have carried a lot of shame with me and it is so nice to be free of that.”

He added that completing the challenge moved his parents to tears and earned him the respect of his brother James, who is married to Pippa Middleton.

Last week, Spencer was officially awarded his Guinness World Record when he was welcomed back to Global HQ for the Heart Breakfast Show.

When Spencer joined the hosts JK and Zoe Hardman it was revealed that the star had officially risen a staggering £511,870.46 for Global’s Make Some Noise.

When the incredible amount was announced, Spencer exclaimed, “No way! That’s literally skyrocketed!”

Spencer was then officially awarded the Guinness World Record for the most marathon distances on sand.

The official confirmed: ‘For the official Guinness World Record title for most marathon distances completed on sand in one month, I can confirm after checking your evidence, you have completed 30, you are officially great. Congratulations!’

As the entire room cheered, Spencer joked, “Thank you so much. I just thought it would be really awkward if he said, ‘You actually came up a little short.'”

“Would you say this is the biggest challenge you’ve ever had to do?” JK asked.

“Absolutely,” Spencer confirmed, “Physically, mentally, basically, it was one of the best experiences of my life and I will always remember it and look back on it fondly.

“But it was tough, you know?”

Overwhelmed, he continued: ‘That’s crazy. Honestly, the whole time I was out there running, the charities were such a huge motivator for me.

‘And as I said before, the support and generosity shown during the challenge was nothing short of overwhelming.

“And even just the messages on social media, I’ve never felt anything like this much support for anything in my life. So I can’t thank you enough.”

Spencer hopes the donations keep rolling in, adding: “You know, I think we just wrapped this up, so I hope we can keep raising money for a few more weeks.

‘I’ll be thinking about ways to raise money for these great causes and the fantastic work that Global’s Make Some Noise does.

“So if you haven’t donated yet, please consider making a donation. Your money makes a huge difference to the wonderful families and children who truly deserve help. So please think about it.”

Although Spencer is pushing his body to the limit and following an intense training regimen for this incredible feat, he isn’t done planning for a new world record just yet.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail after crossing the finish line, the TV personality revealed how, apart from his marriage to Vogue Williams and their three children, the charity marathons were his greatest physical and mental achievements.

He explained: ‘If you exclude things like children and marrying the perfect woman, then of course it’s physical. Starting my business was obviously a big step, but in terms of physical and mental performance, yes, of course.

“This is one of the best feelings of my life, that this has worked out.”

Spencer would like to add more marathons to his already impressive resume, but he’s not sure how yet.

He shared, “I’m definitely going to chase another world record, probably at some point. I’m 36, so this is awesome. I’m definitely going to do more in this space.

‘I don’t know what that looks like now, the idea to do this just came to me one night.’

He added of his initial idea for his 30-marathon task: “I was sitting there and I was like, boom, this is what I want. And we just went ahead and did it. I haven’t had a moment like that yet, but I would give it a couple of months.”

But for now, he is still enjoying his favorite meal and spoiling himself at home.

As for what he plans to do first, he said, “I’m going home, probably take a shower. I’m going to have takeout with my brother-in-law on Thursday night. I can’t wait.”

‘My favourite restaurant in London is Strakers and Dorian, but don’t tell Straker that because they’re next door to each other.

He added: ‘This was a wonderful experience. This is not something I want to recover from. I want to move on.’

During his marathon he ate boiled goat head and lost ten kilos as a result.