We thought we were going to die!'

Denise Lewis and Fleur East on their all-star race to row the length of Britain

- STEVEN PERKINS

For most of us, our experience of rowing doesn’t go any further than a boating lake on a summer afternoon. But 12 brave celebrities are about to discover far bigger obstacles to overcome than muddy reeds and the occasional duck…

In ITV’s brand-new series Don’t Rock the Boat, hosted by Freddie Flintoff and AJ Odudu, the stars have been set the challenge of rowing the length of Britain – over 500 miles from Cornwall to Scotland – and to make it even more tricky, they are racing as two teams of six. They’ll be facing long nights, blisters, seasickness, along with some land-based tasks.

Among the contenders are Olympic gold medallist turned sports pundit Denise Lewis, 48, and singer Fleur East, who turns 33 on 29 October. They are competing on opposite teams, and, here, they tell TV Times all about their epic adventure…

‘Everyone found their inner Olympian’

Heptathlon star Denise Lewis on the highs and lows of getting her sea legs...

Why did you want to take part in the show?

I’m an athlete, I love competing, and I’d missed that element of competition and challenge. I’m no water baby and I thought, ‘Could this be something to really extend myself?’ I’m used to doing solo activities, but I wanted to know if I could coexist in a team environment.

How useful was your Olympic training?