Close shave after polar trek

The 28-year-old said that her hair had turned into one long rat’s tail during her 500-mile gruelling dash across Antarctica for Sport Relief and she would have to shave her head on her return.

Skelton, who is battling temperatures which have plunged to -48C during her ski, kite and ice bike ordeal, told the Radio Times that she was beginning to “smell”.

Skelton already looks to have added another world record to her haul, with the fastest 100km kite surf. She has previously set two records for her solo kayak along the Amazon for Sport Relief in 2010.