As she prepares for South Pole trek, Blue Peter's Helen Skelton spends Christmas Day eating dehydrated goulash in -20C temperatures in Antarctica

By Ted Thornhill

Last updated at 8:42 PM on 25th December 2011

While Britain basks in balmy temperatures, Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton has spent Christmas Day in the sub-zero climate of Antarctica, where it can reach -50C.

She is making preparations to trek 500 miles to the South Pole for Sport Relief and while we’ve been tucking into our turkey, she’s been putting in hours of demanding training and eating dehydrated goulash rations for dinner.

She woke up today in her tiny windswept tent at 71 degrees south after enduring overnight temperatures of -20C – and the only presents she found in her stocking were a slither of Christmas cake and an emotionally charged letter from her family wishing her luck.

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Ice one: Helen Skelton spent a bleak Christmas Day in Antarctica, with hours of demanding training in sub zero temperatures and dehydrated rations for dinner

Pedal power: The Blue Peter presenter will power herself to the pole by ski, by kite - and by bike

She said: ‘I had no idea I would miss my family this much on Christmas Day. It's pretty weird not to be part of it. Still I can't complain this is without doubt the most beautiful place I've ever been. Happy Christmas!’

Helen is hoping to begin her 500 mile trek to the South Pole on January 1 at 83 degrees south.

The brave Blue Peter presenter will power herself to the pole by ski, by kite and - in a world first - by bike.

To complete this gruelling challenge, ‘Super Skelton’ will have to travel for up to 14 hours a day across Antarctica, battling blizzards, ferocious 80mph winds and numbing temperatures.

This is by no means the first time that Helen has put her nerves to the test in extreme fashion.

In March this year she became the first person to walk a high-wire between two of Battersea Power Station's chimneys.

She teetered on a steel wire slightly narrower than a 10p coin 217ft up.

And last year she completed a 2,000-mile solo kayak along the Amazon.

You can sponsor Helen by visiting http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078538/www.sportrelief.com/helen.

Meanwhile, all the extremely cool action from Helen’s Polar Challenge for Sport Relief will be shown in a special nine-week series on Blue Peter, from the end of January to March.

Antarctica is around twice the size of Australia, covering a staggering 5.4million square miles.

Roughly 98 per cent of it is covered in ice and its population comes in at 1,000, not including the seals and penguins.