Ferne McCann will be swapping the nightclubs of Essex for the mountains of Peru when she carries out a ten-day charity trek to Machu Picchu in the summer. Before she goes on the expedition however, the TOWIE star will challenge herself further by doing an open water swim followed by a 10k run in London the month before.
The part that she's most nervous about is the swim, where she'll be donning a wetsuit and making a splash in the Royal Victoria Dock.
"Oh God the swim," said Ferne, speaking ahead of the event to HELLO! Online. "Everyone says it's really cold but when you're in your wetsuit you just get over it. I think it's going to be mad doing it in open water, it's a little bit daunting and as I'm saying it out loud, I can't quite believe I'm going to do it!"
Ferne McCann will take part in an open water swim as part of her training
The 24-year-old is a keen sportswoman already and "trains all the time" at the gym, at netball practice and goes on regular runs.
"Exercising is just part of my lifestyle but obviously having this run and this swim and the trek has definitely upped the gear with the training," said Ferne. "It's definitely an incentive to meet that challenge. It's gonna be intense."
The fitness fanatic, who recently became a pescatarian, added of her training: "Sometimes you have amazing days and you think you're getting somewhere in terms of your fitness and training, and other times you take a massive step back and think God it doesn't get any easier. It is hard. Having that dedication and motivation to get up and fit it all in with a busy lifestyle can be difficult."
© Photo: Getty ImagesLydia Bright will join Ferne on the charity trek: 'I'm glad she's on board and we're doing it together'
Ferne has at least one person she can count on to help her through the journey. She will be joined by her good friend and TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright for the Machu Picchu trek.
"Lydia's done a lot of these sorts of things before whereas I never have, so I'm glad that she's on board and we're doing it together," said Ferne. "She's an amazing friend and I know it's going to be hard at times, but it's also going to be just an incredible challenge and life changing so I'm so happy to be with her.
"It'll be insane when we get to Machu Picchu. I watched a video of previous treks and when people get to Machu Picchu it's so emotional. Everyone cries but it's all happy tears."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe TOWIE star is raising money for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel
Speaking about the logistics of the trek, which includes a straight nine-hour hike on one day, Ferne added: "There's a team coming with us. We'll have our rucksacks and our walking poles. I'm not quite sure who'll be carrying the tents but I'm sure we'll all take our turns!"
The reality TV stars signed up to the challenge to raise money for CoppaFeel, which encourages women to check their breasts for early signs of cancer. "It's an incredible charity," said Ferne. "It was something that I couldn't say no to. It's so daunting but I'm really excited."
Ferne McCann is taking part in the Great Newham London Swim and the Morrisons Great Newham London Run on 18 and 19 July 2015. There's still time to enter, visit greatrun.org/London for more info or to sign up.
