BBC presenters are confronted with their swimming fears for Children in Need

Gemma had a form of it dystonia, external in her upper body – a problem in the part of the brain that controls movement – ​​which can cause uncontrolled and sometimes painful muscle spasms.

Gemma was told to live up to her expectations of what she could do because she had swam competitively, played tennis, hockey, netball and performed in shows.

Less than ten years later, she has become a wheelchair tennis player, sports broadcaster, ICU world champion and coach.

“Sometimes people say you can’t do something,” she said.

“Maybe I can’t do it the traditional way you would see it done, but let’s see how I can adapt it.”

Gemma came up with a form of swimming that she likes to call a ‘free paddle’.

Her left arm does a front crawl, while her right arm, which she calls her “nemovin” because it is affected by her dystonia, does a dog paddle.

Her goal of swimming 474 laps in the pool in five days was something she couldn’t have imagined eight years ago.

“When the going gets tough, I’m much stronger than I think. I really enjoyed being in the pool, there’s something liberating about it.

Gemma, along with dozens of other BBC presenters and their colleagues, are attempting to swim 15 miles each – with the aim of a total of 1,000 miles.