Having completed the first 130 mile cycling leg of her seven-day, 500 mile journey from Edinburgh to London on Saturday, and then scaling Skafell Pike in snowy conditions yesterday, TV presenter Davina McCall had to be pulled from Lake Windermere today suffering from exhaustion.
She was attempting to swim across the mile long lake as part of her Sport Relief challenge Davina Beyond Breaking Point.
A visibly distressed and semi conscious McCall was carried out of the lake and brought to a nearby hotel where she was wrapped in warm blankets and given hot chocolate to try and get her core temperature raised.
"The moment I got in the water, my chest felt crushed,” said McCall after recovering from the swim.
“I couldn't do the front crawl, I couldn't put my head under water, I couldn't breathe. When I was near the end and really struggling, I got so desperate I looked up to God. If there was anyone up there I needed their help!
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“I kept trying to lift my arm to swim, trying to pull the crawl out of the bag, but I couldn't even get it up. I ended up doing the doggy paddle.
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“I imagined my sister holding me and pulling me through it. It was such a struggle, but I have such a great team around me, I couldn't have done it without them.
“Although I'm shattered I never felt unsafe, I'm in the best possible hands."
McCall is a recent convert to cycling and is ambassador for Davina’s Diva Classic, a women’s only sportive in East Sussex.
Shortly after her collapse today, she was back on her bike for another gruelling 63 mile leg of her epic attempt to cycle, swim and run from Edinburgh to London for charity.
Davina McCall had to be helped from Lake Windermere but was back in the saddle in no time.
Promoting Britain's women's only sportive and raising funds for charity, McCall is only a recent convert to cycling but seems to be made of tough stuff.
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