‘I’d love to have a faith’: Vicky Pattison finds ‘belief and peace’ after appearing on BBC’s The Pilgrimage

Vicky Pattison has unexpectedly found “belief and peace” after appearing on BBC show ‘The Pilgrimage’.

The ex-Geordie Shore star, 35, who was the only one of the seven celebrity pilgrims not to have a faith, admits that she felt like “the odd one out” after being selected to feature on The Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal.

The BBC show takes seven well known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs on a personal journey along the northern route of the Fatima Way in Portugal. Vicky joined stars, including former Boyzone singer Shane Lynch and ex-EastEnder Rita Simons, for the journey to Fatima in Portugal.

Their destination is the Sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where in 1917 three local shepherd children experienced several apparitions of the Virgin Mary. As they travel 364km in 15 days, the group take shelter in pilgrim hostels, a basic campsite and even a working fire station.

Vicky has made no secret about how traumatic she finds her reality TV past and constantly posts realistic photos of herself online which followers love. Whilst she loves looking glam she is quick to follow up with a ‘morning after’ photo to ensure her followers do not feel intimidated.

The Queen of the jungle, who was the only agnostic celebrity taking part in the new show, told The Mirror that the experience affected her in a “profound way” that she didn’t anticipate.

“I cried because I felt like I was missing out on something to truly believe in,” Vicky said.

She continued: “I’ve never used the word pilgrimage in my life. I don’t think I know what this means but as you get older, your life becomes smaller and that’s okay, but you can quickly become stagnant, and I don’t want to be stagnant”.

Vicky told OK magazine that she now has a desire to explore faith, saying: “I’ve always wanted to think that there was something bigger than me and better than me out there but I didn’t know what it was.

“I still don’t know, but I have a real desire to find out. It showed me I’d really love to have a faith.”

Vicky was particularly interested in the beliefs of her co-stars. When talking to Boyzone singer Shane, she discovered that he is seeking "clarity" in his life.

He said: “I am a Pentecostal Born Again Christian. My relationship with God is very tight and I love it.

He added:"I want to put myself into a position that I’ve never experienced before and hopefully find out some amazing and emotional things”.

Vicky was also accompanied by former ‘EastEnders’ star Rita Simons, who hoped to learn more about her own Jewish heritage.

Speaking to MSN, she admitted: “I’m not entirely sure how comfortable I am about revealing to the Jewish community how little I practise the religion.

The three-part series will air on BBC2 this spring.