John Bishop Sport Relief triathlon back on after French rowing ban

John Bishop, Davina McCall, Denise Lewis and Freddie Flintoff have been granted permission to row across the English Channel for Sport Relief after French authorities overturned a ban.

The celebrities staged a mass plea on Twitter after Bishop's upcoming 290-mile triathlon from Paris to London was jeopardised by the ruling earlier this week.



However, Bishop announced on the social networking site today (February 26) that the Admiral of Cherbourg is allowing the row to go ahead, having taken the humanitarian aims of the challenge into account.

"Great news.The Admiral of Cherbourg has granted permission for the row," he wrote. "Thanks twitter campaign @flintoff11 @ThisisDavina and all support."



All involved in Bishop's 'Week of Hell' have expressed gratitude to the French authorities for the extraordinary ruling.

The comedian is set to begin his triathlon in France on February 27, when he will ride a bike from Paris to Calais. After the row, he will take on three marathons in as many days, finishing in Trafalgar Square on March 2.



Dermot O'Leary, Frank Skinner and Robbie Savage will accompany Bishop on the running portion of the challenge.

Bishop began his training by running a marathon in Liverpool on February 9, completing the 26.2 mile course in 4 hours and 25 minutes.

He is aiming to raise money for a vaccine to prevent five diseases - diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and haemophilus - for 250,000 children in Africa, as well as helping those living tough lives across the UK.