Emotional Sara Cox reaches the finish line of her gruelling 135-mile Children in Need marathon challenge as fundraising tops £9.5million

Sara Cox cried as she learned she had raised millions of pounds for Children in Need – and received a touching message of support from Prince William.

The Prince of Wales greeted the BBC Radio 2 DJ as he crossed the finish line for the Great Northern Marathon Challenge on Friday and completed the Children in Need Challenge, covering 135 miles in five days.

The heir to the throne encouraged her to ‘keep going’ and said he hoped she would receive plenty of hugs when she finished her run tonight, as well as plenty of bread, her favorite food.

Sara, 50, was left speechless after discovering she had raised a whopping £9.5million following her grueling 135-mile marathon challenge.

This expedition is Radio 2’s longest and toughest ever BBC Children in Need competition.

Prince William recorded a video message which he played on Scott Mills’ Radio 2 breakfast show.

He said: ‘Sara, many congratulations on what you’ve done.

‘You’re so close to there, just a little further and I know the people of Pudsey will all come out and welcome you with big open arms, hugs and hopefully your favorite scones.

‘Keep going, you’ve done extraordinarily well and the nation is proud of you.’

Prince William, who was in Cornwall yesterday, sent Sara a message urging her to push on and hoped she would be rewarded with cuddles and treats at the end of her five-day run

Extraordinary moment is when Sara Cox learned this morning she had raised £4million for Children in Need – and this has now risen to £6million

After crossing the finish line at Leeds Pudsey at around 3.30pm today, Cox said after starting at Kielder Forest, Northumberland: ‘I can’t believe it, oh my God. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Oh my God, I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it, hello Yorkshire.

‘I am now an honorary Yorkshirewoman.’

Carrying a Pudsey Bear backpack, the DJ took in Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire on his journey.

Speaking to Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2, he added: ‘This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I’ve never seen pain like this.

‘But I never made eye contact with this gorgeous woman who had just turned me on.

‘It was very cold on the side of the road in heavy rain. Truck drivers honk their horns, farmers stop their work to come and say hello.

‘Thanks to everyone who let me stay in their homes for a while; It was a few people.’

Ms Cox covered the equivalent of five marathons in five days.

Describing the amount as ‘incredible’, Cox said: ‘Everyone who gave a fiver or a tenner did so, it’s incredible. Thank you very much. Thank you to everyone who donated, you are absolutely amazing.’

This challenge is Radio 2’s longest running challenge as part of its annual fundraiser.

Fellow Radio 2 presenter Trevor Nelson revealed on Thursday that the total money raised for Cox had reached £3 million.

He said he was encouraged by the support of many women during his struggle.

“We are not women of a certain age, we are not women of a certain age, we are women over 50,” she said. ‘When you turn 50 it’s just the beginning, I love being 50.’

Sara stopped dead in her tracks when she found out how much people were donating

Radio 2 DJ couldn’t hide his emotions at the money his run brought in

He also revealed that while passing a phone booth on the longest leg from Richmond to Ripley on Thursday, he received a call from his mother and sister in India.

The BBC’s annual Children in Need charity campaign starts on Friday at 7pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

The night, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, Big Zuu, Mel Giedroyc, Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay and Lenny Rush, will feature performances by McFly singer Tom Fletcher and girl group Remember Monday, as well as sketches from BBC favorites such as The Apprentice, EastEnders and Gladiators.

Sara admitted ‘everything hurts’ on Thursday after completing the third day of the grueling 135-mile Children in Need marathon challenge.

Speaking to Paddy McGuinness about how he was feeling he said: ‘There’s a bit of blue sky which is welcome of course and the sun is trying to break through the misty white cloud – and look I’m going to curse it now but it’s dry to the touch wood – but if I’m honest it was probably one of the hardest mornings of my life, it just all hurts.

‘I mean, I’m used to Wednesday being a day of ups and downs, but this is ridiculous, it’s just one hump after another to get through today.’

Sara Cox admits ‘everything hurts’

He added: ‘But you know, the people on the roadside, the people here, I mean they’re great but it’s just my calves are so tight, my knees are killing me and I feel like my left leg isn’t doing what I’m asking it to do and it’s very difficult.

‘I’m trying to keep digging, it’s so hard.’

Paddy also revealed the staggering total raised so far to Sara on Radio 2 on Wednesday, to which she replied: ‘It’s a mind-blowing figure… I mean that amount anyway, it’s absolutely incredible.

‘If you donated, thank you very much. Thank you Radio 2 listeners – the best in the world.’

Fellow Bolton man Peter Kay sent Sara a supportive message, saying: ‘Hi Sara, I’m Peter. This…what you are doing is a huge challenge. Big. I thought Paddy and Vernon had it tough, but you’re taking it to the next level.

‘What’s next? Scott Mills skips the M1. Your poor little feet. Listen, whenever you’re faced with this, when you feel like you can’t go on and your upper legs hurt, think about all those kids in need.

‘Imagine how much this would mean to them. We all know this is a very good cause. Having said that, with all the money they raised they still couldn’t cure Pudsey’s eye.’