Louise Minchin opened up on a "terrifying" experience as she appeared on ITV's Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. The BBC star opened up to quiz show host Jeremy Clarkson as he described her as a "risk taker".
In between answering questions, aiming to get to the million pound prize, Jeremy quizzed her about her personal life as he said: "You do risk parts of your body. One of the things that I read that you had done is swim under a meter of ice in Finland."
Louise replied: "Do you know what, I was thinking about that meter of ice when I walked onto this set, because it was absolutely terrifying." Jeremy put his hand to his mouth in disbelief as he said: "I bet it was!"
The celebrity contestant continued: "It was in the dark the first time I did it, and this set is quite dark isn't it?" Jeremy asked: "Were you doing that for charity?"
"No, for fun," she responded while laughing. The ITV host was surprised as he said: "Wow, so I suspect you're probably a bit of a risk taker!"
Since stepping back from the spotlight after her departure from Breakfast four years ago, Louise has kept a relatively low profile, making only occasional TV appearances.
Her exit came as she closed a chapter on a two-decade tenure on the famous red sofa.
Speaking about her decision to step down, the presenter admitted that the presenting role and early starts were "utterly gruelling". Louise shared that she had "done it enough" as she opted to "quit while she was ahead".
Earlier this year she competed in a star-studded line up for Gladiators. Louise revealed: "I told my friends and family, I was doing Gladiators they all laughed out loud."
She explained their mirth, saying: "They laughed out loud for two reasons. One, that it's totally ridiculous that I should be doing Gladiators at my age, and number two, they absolutely know that it's my idea of heaven."
When she's not in front of the camera, Louise is often found indulging in her passion for exercise. She's an avid hiker, cyclist, and runner, frequently sharing her athletic pursuits on .
