'WHAT I'VE LEARNED IS THAT I'M STRONG'

ACTRESS TAMZIN OUTHWAITE ON BRAVING TOUGH TASKS AND FEELING HER LATE MOTHER HELPED HER CONFRONT HER FEARS ON NEW BBC SHOW FREEZE THE FEAR WITH WIM HOF

-  RIANNE ISON & CHLOE ALEXANDROU

TAKING THE PLUNGE

We're used to watching actress Tamzin Outhwaite face plenty of challenges while playing a character - but in her latest TV project, viewers will see her tackle some chilling trials in real life.

The 51-year-old, who soap fans know and love as Mel Owen in EastEnders, is one of the stars braving the experience of a lifetime as they take the plunge in an exploration of the wellbeing ideas of Dutch motivational speaker and cold water therapy advocate Wim Hof.

But within the first few minutes of being filmed in the sub-zero temperatures in Northern Italy, Tamzin was forced to confront a painful memory from her past.

Tasked with jumping feet-first into a frozen lake, below eight inches of ice, Tamzin began to reflect on how her mum Anna Santis died suddenly in 2018, aged 67.

"My mum died of a very sudden heart attack and, in my head, jumping into ice cold water could trigger something like that," Tamzin says about entering the freezing water – which can cause hypothermia to set in within minutes.

"My main fear was, 'Am I going to have a heart attack when I hit the water?'"

However, the down-to-earth star tells us she felt her late mum was with her every step of the way to help her tackle anything she faced. And Wim helped them learn breathing techniques to alter their mindset about the cold.