Blue Peter star heads off on Amazon adventure

Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton is to embark on a rainforest adventure which will see her kayak thousands of miles down the Amazon river.

TV star heads off on Amazon river trip for charity

The 26-year-old is attempting to become the first women to ever kayak 2,010 miles down the river solo.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Skelton shared her concerns about the trip and also sought to show people that despite being a children's TV presenter, she can still take on such challenges.

"I'm a kids TV presenter. I use hair straighteners every day. But just because I am a girlie girl doesn't mean I can't be gritty," she insisted.

The newspaper noted that on the journey, she is likely to come face to face with 20 foot long snakes, crocodiles and "hideous blisters" from the rowing.

Skelton is tackling the river to raise funds for Sport Relief and has already turned down a challenge to swim the length of the Panama Canal for "not being good enough".

Skelton hails from Cumbria and begun her journey down the Amazon river on January 20th. Overall, the trip is expected to take six weeks.

Written by Felipe Martinez.

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