Blue Peter action girl Helen Skelton has successfully completed her Antarctica challenge for Sport Relief. Just 24 hours after reaching the South Pole, she called us on her satellite phone to tell us what is was really like in Antarctica.

Congratulations on such an achievement! How are you feeling?

Thank you! Yes, a bit mad really. It’s weird because we’ve been talking about it for so long, building up to it for so long and you try not to think about the end, because you just want to get through each day.

How was it when you reached the pole?

It’s weird because there are flags around it. You’ve seen it on the TV and you expect it to be in the middle of nowhere, but it’s not. It’s in an American army base with buildings all around. It wasn’t what I expected at all.

What was the first thing you did when you got there?

Phoned home and took some pictures. Bless my mum, she said: “Aww, does that mean you can have a bed and can get a shower now?” And I was like: “Mum, I’m still in Antarctica. We’re still here for another ten days, so we’re still camping in minus 40 and eating rehydrated food and all that kind of stuff. I can’t really celebrate and relax just yet.”

We heard you’ve picked up some blisters and a cough on the trip.

Yes, my feet are pretty bad. The cough was probably the worst, because the doctor said if I didn’t finish soon I’d end up with pneumonia. So that was a bit of a worry. I was absolutely bouncing yesterday, I was really full of energy and I think I was just excited. Today I’m tired. It’s still hard to get a full night’s sleep because we’re camping and it is cold. We’re so high, we’re just under 3,000m above sea level, so the air is quite thin and everything feels like hard work.

Did you actually enjoy the trip?

I enjoyed all of it, although it was tough. It’s such a magical place, and it is a total privilege to be here 100 years after Scott raced to the pole.

You skied, biked and kited, but do you have a favourite of the three?

The kiting is the most fun, but I love the fact the bike worked. Everyone said it wouldn’t. Okay, it was daft but, if you don’t try, you never know.

Did the training really prepare you for just how tough it was out there?

Yes, it wasn’t that long to prepare. A lot of people train for years to come out here, but I think I was lucky because the training was quite grim, and I think doing that for two years would have really taken it out of me. We went to Iceland in October but we had such bad weather that I think it really prepared us, because we camped in rain and blizzards. Out here it’s so dry, it’s easier almost. It wasn’t a walk in the park but, compared to Iceland, it was easier.

What was the hardest part?

I think day-to-day life, because we’ve been out here since 22 December. Putting up a tent every day in sometimes minus 40, then travelling and putting up a tent again at night, that’s what takes it out of you. I think that’s what I found really hard. I mean, I don’t even have a hairbrush, so I borrowed a hairbrush off an Icelandic mechanic. It’s stuff like that. I’ve been in the same clothes since we got here. I stink! That’s the kind of stuff that’s draining!

How do you do things like going to the toilet in those conditions?

Well, you dig a hole and be quick. One day I did think I had frostbite on my bottom, but I couldn’t exactly ask someone to check!

What do you think you’ve learnt most about yourself?

I think it makes you realise how much you value your family and friends. Obviously you know that you take food and water for granted. You miss that on any kind of trip but I don’t think, sometimes, you realise how much it matters having your friends and family around you. They love you regardless.

Do you think you will stay away from snow for a while?

I don’t know, I thought that. The day I finished I thought: “I’m not putting skis on for a very long time!” But, if I went to the Alps now, I would find it a breeze compared to this. I don’t think I’ll be camping for a while. I don’t camp anyway, even in the UK!

What’s going to be the first thing you do when you get home?

Have a shower. I cannot wait to have a shower!

All the action from Helen’s challenge will be shown in a special nine-week series on Blue Peter, Mondays at 4:30pm on BBC One. Enter the Sport Relief Mile now at sportrelief.com/mile.