The Loose Women star raised more than a million pounds for charity in 2010 by undertaking a challenge that had never been accomplished before but admitted that it was so “distressing” at the time.

Christine Lampard has opened up on a “horrific” experience that she had on television more than 15 years ago. The star, 46, has been a mainstay on screen since she hosted The One Show in the late 2000s, but admitted that the “most distressing” thing when she was trying to raise money for charity.

In 2010, Christine became the first person to water ski across the English Channel, all in aid of Sport Relief, but during a discussion with her Loose Women co-stars Gloria Hunniford, Janet Street-Porter and Coleen Nolan, she opened up about just how much of an ordeal it was for her.

Looking at a picture from the time, Christine reflected: “That was water-skiing for Sport Relief. We were there raising money for Sport Relief. Talking about wetsuits, oh my God, that was horrific. ”

The ladies were discussing ITV’s latest reality show Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, which has seen the likes of McFly star Dougie Poynter, Call the Midwife actress Helen George and Amandaland’s Lucy Punch face their fears.

The TV presenter then admitted that she mistakenly believed it would be an easy task and thought it would be like going on a ski holiday, but then found out just how “tough” it was.

She added: “That was the support boat in the background, just in case I drowned! It was 22 miles, I think, across the English Channel. I had never water-skied before so, just like the shark programme, it was completely beginning from scratch. “I had never, ever done it before and I foolishly thought about people doing it on holiday where it looks lovely!”

Christine Lampard opened up on the ‘most distressing’ thing she has ever been through during a chat with her Loose Women co-stars(Image: ITV)

In the end, Christine, who has Patricia, six, and four-year-old Freddie with husband Frank Lampard, raised more than £1 million for charity, but insisted that it was the hardest thing she has ever put herself through in a physical sense.

She added: “And suddenly when you do it for real, you realise how tough it is but at that point I was in it so I had to learn. It was physically the most distressing thing I think I will ever do.

“Hugely worth it with the money that was raised, it was a lot of money but it took a lot of training, a lot of work, a lot of support.”

Christine spoke of how she spent her younger years doing adventurous things like jumping out of planes, explaining: “I was like the rollercoaster girl, I was like ‘I’ll go…’

But these days, she has decided to “shut up shop” when it comes to her sense of adventure, especially since become

“Now, absolutely not. No, no, no. The fear has kicked in since I’ve gotten older, and definitely since having children. With the Channel, the box has been ticked. But I do appreciate people giving thing a go when they are fearful of something.”