The first thing Ann Daniels will do when she gets home from a record breaking trek to the South Pole is jet off with her three children for a holiday in the sun.

For 60 days the former Bradford woman has battled across 695 miles of freezing Antarctic wasteland in temperatures dropping to minus 50 degrees Centigrade.

Ann and four other women became the first all-female British team to reach the South Pole and the first to conquer both the North and the South poles.

But after celebrating with a glass of bubbly and a few verses of the National Anthem, all the 35-year-old wants to do is to see her treasured triplets.

Speaking from the South Pole via a satellite telephone, Ann told the Telegraph & Argus she had spoken to five-year-olds Lucy, Rachael, and Joseph just after she reached the pole at 6am GMT yesterday.

She said the children, who are staying with their grandma Kathleen Hardacre in Somerset, had asked her a volley of questions.

Ann said: "The first thing they asked me was how many days would it be before I came home. They were very excited and asked me lots of questions, like had I seen a penguin, which I hadn't. I told them about the snow and the ice and the freezing conditions and the little details like how mummy didn't have a knife and a fork and plate to eat with.

"When they get a bit older I'll be able to tell them about the beauty of the Antarctic but they're a bit young to understand at the moment.

"I just really want to see them and go off to Spain, just the four of us."

The brave mum described her daily routine of waking up in freezing conditions, boiling enough water for the day and then trudging ten to twelve miles on skis.

Every day she had to eat between 5,000 to 6,000 calories of food, including fudge given by the team's patron, Prince Charles, to keep her energy levels up. But she still lost nearly two stone in weight.

She said: "The whole team were hugely excited and very emotional when we arrived at the Pole.

"We were hugging each other and some Americans who live in a research base at the pole brought out some Champagne and celebrated with us.

"All I want to do now is go home to my kids. But life is for living and I've got a few thoughts and ideas about what I might do next.

"But for now I'm just going to enjoy what I've achieved."

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