Sophie Ellis-Bextor completes 24-hour charity danceathon

Sophie Ellis-Bextor completed her 24-hour Kitchen Disco danceathon for Children in Need on Wednesday morning.

The Murder on the Dancefloor hitmaker began her danceathon, inspired by her Kitchen Disco video series, on Tuesday morning at the BBC Radio Theatre and completed the challenge on Wednesday.

The singer grew emotional as she was reunited with her husband Richard Jones, their five sons, and her mother Janet Ellis towards the end of her stint and they danced with her as she performed her hit Take Me Home.

"Sophie's done it!" a message on her Twitter account read. "After 24 hours of dancing, that's an incredible total to finish on - and with the entire family too, in true Kitchen Disco style. Well done Sophie and thank you so much for all your support during a marathon."

At the end of the live-streamed danceathon, she had raised more than £800,000 for Children in Need. Representatives for the annual fundraising appeal tweeted, "Just incredible... Congratulations and THANK YOU @SophieEB and to everyone who has donated. Your support will change lives."

To help get her through the challenge, Sophie was joined by a range of famous faces both in the theatre and virtually, including Simon Pegg, Rick Astley, Tony Blackburn, Gemma Collins, Belinda Carlisle, Natalie Imbruglia, Tamsin Outhwaite, and Michael Ball.

She told BBC News during her danceathon that she had picked most of the music herself to make sure she keeps her spirits up.

"If I hear something that I don't want to listen to then it's like kryptonite and all my energy will drain into the floor," she said. "So, the music is my companion, my conscience, my friend."

Sophie created her Kitchen Disco video series, in which she sings and dances under a glitter ball in her kitchen at home, often surrounded by her children, to lift people's spirits during the first lockdown.