Adventure-loving Helen Skelton doesn't believe in putting pressure on herself unless, of course, it's the "right" sort of pressure, like kayaking the length of the à Amazon for a good cause.
For those who enjoyed watching the Carlisle-born TV presenter pootle around Yorkshire with her friend Dan Walker in their recent Channel 5 series, Yorkshire Great And Small With Dan And Helen, it's easy to forget just how much of an adrenaline junkie this woman is. In this exclusive chat with OK!, as well as talking about the chaos of raising three young children, Helen shares what makes her chase that thrill-seeking high.
"I think the older you get, the more you learn to appreciate what puts a smile on your face and what gets your blood pumping. For me, it's that kind of stuff," says the former Blue Peter host and Strictly star.
"I was very lucky that for a long time I was in kids' telly and it was my job to do weird and exhilarating things, and I realised that I liked it. I wasn't good at anything growing up, and doing this stuff you don't have to be good at anything, you just have to be a little bit brave - and stupid!" Helen's list of achievements includes a tightrope walk over Battersea Power Station for Comic Relief in 2011 and an ultramarathon in Namibia in 2009, where she was one of only 15 competitors to finish and became the second woman ever to complete the 78-mile event.
She has also held numerous Guinness World Records, including the longest solo journey by kayak and the longest distance travelled in a kaak in 24 hours by a woman after she kayaked the length of the River Amazon on her own for Sport Relief in 2010.
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