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Exclusive Interview: The Amazing Race Canada Winners Catherine Wreford Ledlow and Craig Ramsay

catherine wreford ledlow craig ramsay amazing race canada winners interview
catherine wreford ledlow craig ramsay amazing race canada winners interview

Catherine Wreford Ledlow and Craig Ramsay, “Team Broadway,” were the winners of the latest season of The Amazing Race Canada, winning two first-ever Chevrolet Silverado ZR2’s, a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world courtesy of GURU Organic Energy, and a $250,000 cash prize.

The TV Watercooler had the opportunity to speak to the best friends of over 25 years about if they had any hesitation of participating due to Catherine being at a greater health risk during COVID-19, what advice they have for sustaining a long friendship, as well as Craig’s experiences on General Hospital and All My Children!

Catherine, you wanted to show your kids that anything is possible despite your diagnosis. Your family must be so proud of you. I know the country sure is. You are such an inspiration!

Catherine: Thank you!  They’re extremely proud. However, this morning Elliot was trying to get ready for a school picture, so we were guiding him on how to do his hair…he’s kind of over it!

When did you wrap filming? Did you have to keep winning a secret from your families?

Catherine: Since the end of May. So, until Tuesday…But I did tell my husband. He signed an NDA. But now it’s all out!

It was also very brave to do this during COVID, as we saw, the pandemic wasn’t really over. Was there any hesitation to participate knowing Catherine had a greater risk? And then what was it like getting COVID and then being able to come back in to play?

Catherine: Yes, I was at a greater risk. I had had four shots. I got a very mild case of COVID. Craig did as well. With COVID, there’s still the recovery and it’s hard to perform post-COVID! But we did it!

Craig: And by perform, she means the opportunities for instance in the finale, we still had voices that were affected by COVID at the time. Even though we were racing safely and we were negative.

We certainly were aware of the potential problematic situations of COVID-19 and so were the producers. We’re just thrilled with the opportunity that they carved out for some of the teams to come back.

The majority of Canadians that were following the race were really concerned about Catherine’s well-being and health after she got COVID, and we certainly wish that the show had shared more information about our quick recovery.

Definitely. It was also such a surprise when they teased they were potentially bringing those teams back!

Catherine: Well, we weren’t even sure that we would come.

Craig: Everyone was happy…Except for Beverly and Veronica!

As Broadway performers, choreography and memorization also played such a big part in this game, what other skills came into play for you?

Craig: I guess the dancing and singing challenges were far less this season than the other seasons, but also the skill sets featured other professions as well. Jesse is a cross-country skier, for example. Many of the racers had their strengths.

What’s interesting about being a theatre performer is that hopefully, we represent the theatre community. There’s a lot of hidden talent and skill set that you need to be on stage, but for me, I also have a photographic memory and Catherine is a mathematician. She’s also graduated from nursing school.

So, we really do have those special skill sets… I’m even a pool shark, and Catherine had no idea!

All these complement really strong acting skills!

You’ve said that the race has brought you both closer, but being friends for over 25 years, you get to know how to really push each other’s buttons. Were there any difficult moments and how did you navigate those hard times with each other and “stay cool”?

Catherine: You know, it was such an intimate time that we didn’t push each other’s buttons… I don’t think we ever have! Not because we’ve never tried to push those buttons.

Craig: I certainly annoy Catherine! I chew with my mouth open!

Catherine: And he farts a lot! I do terrible stuff too!

Craig: Catherine doesn’t sleep.

Catherine: I fully wake him up in the morning with my coffee where I’m slurping my coffee. But you know, we don’t do it on purpose.

Craig: We are who we are!

What’s your advice for sustaining such a long friendship?

Craig: I would say put your egos aside. We’re on the same team… Team Broadway! And you can be a winning team as well if you don’t take things personally and make it about you. We love each other and we remind each other of that anytime there’s a difficult situation that’s placed in front of us.

Was there another team that was easy to work with and get support from?

Catherine: Not really. Jesse and Marika were just so good at everything. So, it’s hard.

Craig: Franca and Nella were smart players. If there’s an All-Star cast in the future, “Franella” have to be in there! I really respect how they played a smart race but we didn’t know everything about them. They kept things a secret and you also couldn’t trust them towards the end, and I think because they were willing to do anything for the win…

Catherine: Just like we were?!

Craig: No! We didn’t play the same game that “Franella” did. It’s just a different way of playing it. We did have an OG alliance with them that fell apart, but we’ve since rekindled it and we are very close friends with them!

I saw on CBC News Manitoba that you wanted to give back and start a scholarship where you both met at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, can you talk to us a little bit about that?

Catherine: Yes, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. We wanted to pay back where we got our education and love of ballet and dancing. I trained there my entire life. We also had an amazing mentor named Arnold Spohr who taught both Craig and me. We wanted to do that in his name and share our passion for dance and with people that have other things that they are interested in, not just ballet.

Craig: It’s time to invest back to where it all began for us. To invest in the future dancers of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. We really value that they have had us back as guest artists recently as Lord and Lady Capulet because they wanted to honour our acting careers along with the strong ballet foundation that we got at the school. This scholarship is going to reflect those efforts in really honouring, not just expectational ballet ability, but also other passions for the arts in general.

Speaking of acting, Craig, our site has a big soap following. You appeared on General Hospital back in 2016 playing a masseur! Do you remember much of this appearance? What can you tell our GH fans about this experience?

Craig: Oh, I am a terrible masseur! I love getting massages but to go in and be a masseur in that scene, it was so funny! My hairy forearm rubbed up and down that poor famous actress’ back and it was giving her a rash! It took her about a week to heal from my hairy forearm rash! It was Jane Elliot!

Who has played the Tracy Quartermain on and off since 1978! She’s a legend…

Craig: With the Canadian rash on her back!

That’s great!

Craig: I was also on All My Children many times as well! I was once a singing intern nurse in a Christmas episode in particular where we had to sing “Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La” and I took it was my one and only moment to shine on daytime soap operas and I hit the note so high, so loud, that I thought that things would take off for me in a different way, but unfortunately, they didn’t!

It took a while for daytime to call you back!

Craig: [Laughs] In fact I think I upped Tonya Pinkins [who played Livia], and she didn’t like that very much.

Oh, no! Did you meet Susan Lucci (Erica Kane)?

Craig: I did many times, actually! And I took my parents on a tour backstage and they got to meet Susan Lucci as well. My dad dropped his camera case and then lost it there…he always says that Susan Lucci stole his camera case!

I love that! Speaking of family, came in first in the New Brunswick episode, Craig, you’ve got ties there. How special was that?

Craig: Oh, really, really beautiful for Catherine and me. The night before that leg, not knowing where we were going, my grandfather came to me in a dream. He said that he, along with his dozen brothers and sisters that have passed on, were going to be there guiding us. And then for us to open up that clue and see that we were going back to his hometown where all the Ramseys started, it was beyond special! In fact, they did guide us and we won!

Catherine: That was awesome!

The Amazing Race Canada Season 8 is now available to stream on CTV.ca, the CTV app and Crave.

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