AFTER failing his Christmas no-sleep challenge, our very own daredevil reporter DAN KEEL has been back in action. This month he swam in the freezing cold waters of the English Channel.
EVEN the bravest daredevils have an Achilles heel - and mine is definitely cold water.
You can send me on a half-marathon with two weeks' notice, deprive me of sleep for 34 hours, or strap me to a plane in the middle of winter - and you won't hear a single grumble.
But I can think of few more unpleasant things in life than a cold shower, or treading in a puddle on a chilly winter morning.
And so when I was handed the task of swimming in the sea for five minutes during one of the coldest winters in modern history - I nearly cried.
The only factor which raised my spirits was the thought that somebody had it even worse than me - Russell Cartwright.
The head of communications at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is swimming in a different stretch of sea every month this year in aid of the charity Magpie Dance.
So who better to give me some tips before my epic challenge. "Make sure you wear something on your feet Dan. In January the beach was so cold and icy that my feet stuck to the pebbles," he said. I cried again.
But even my most pessimistic predictions could not prepare me for the painfully icy waters of the English Channel.
It is not just a matter of being cold for five minutes. It is a matter of being in complete full-body agony for five minutes.
The sensation was very much like being pricked with hundreds of needles which semi-paralysed my body to the point where it was almost impossible to breathe, swim or think.
This was by the far the most physically unpleasant experience of my life and one which I never want to repeat again.
As I dragged myself through the water with my pathetically weak front-crawl, it was all I could do to keep my head above the water as my limp lifeless legs tried their best to pedal me upwards.
And even once the five-minute hooter had sounded - my dare was far from over.
Forcing myself against the tide and back on to dry land was a mission in itself and induced a mini-panic-attack as the beach refused to get any closer.
But after another agonising minute, I pulled myself ashore and left my poor cameraman to dress my red, raw, numb body.
Speaking afterwards, Russell said: "Dan looked petrified before the swim. I thought there was no way he would complete the challenge.
"After about 30 seconds in the water he wanted to know how long was left! I'm not sure whether it was Dan's determination or the tide that kept him in for the full five minutes, but he did it."
Magpie Dance, which runs dance classes for people with learning difficulties, has no regular funding but has to raise £250,000 each year.
Russell's aim is to raise £2,540 which will pay for two members of Magpie's Youth Group for 12 months.
To sponsor Russell, visit justgiving.com/RCartwright or call 020 8290 6633.
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