Yours chats to Ben Fogle
Everest conqueror Ben Fogle reveals why he took on the world’s highest mountain and what really counts
Think of the presenter, adventurer and animal lover Ben Fogle and words that come to mind probably include committed, caring, passionate and fearless. But as he recovers from climbing the world’s highest peak, Ben is quick to point out that it was actually his fears – of heights and failure – that were the main reasons for him taking on the challenge.
“I wanted to succeed at this because a lot of my life has been dogged by failure and as I have got older, and have become a father, I wanted to show my children that you shouldn’t shy away from confronting those fears,” he says. “But it was terrifying confronting my fear of vertigo! When you’re up there with sheer drops and are thousands of metres up, it’s like sitting on the wing of an aeroplane. But I promised my wife Marina all along that I wouldn’t let ego get in the way of safety and I could see how people could get swept up in the moment, especially as you get higher and higher.” When he reached the summit, he called Marina. “I think it was about 3am on Everest. I had this feeling of pure elation. The views are unlike anything I have ever seen before.”
He also tells how thoughts of his stillborn son, Willem, kept him going during the tough times. “Thinking of him spurred me on. Losing Willem in 2014 (at 32 weeks) was a reminder to me to live life as much as possible. He was stillborn and his was a life cut short. In some ways, the grief I felt inspired me to attempt the expedition. I don’t want to have any regrets. We can always come up with excuses not to do something and put things off. An experience like that makes you realise that life is relatively short. We all have mortality and are heading in the same direction; so try to live life as you want to live it and pursue your dreams. I owed it to Willem, but also my other children, not to change who I am because I am a father. I am goal-driven, and although it is tempting to make life as safe as possible, I have never done that.”
Since he has returned home Ben says his children, son Ludo (8) and daughter Iona (6) haven’t left his side. “They stuck to me like glue for the first few weeks. I’ve been picking them up from school and they are super proud. They keep asking questions about it which makes it worthwhile for me. If I came back and they didn’t ask a question, I think it would be a bit disappointing.” He laughs at how Iona said he smelt like rotten cheese. “It's so sweet. Iona wrote in her diary, ‘Daddy came back, he smelt of rotten cheese!’ There was me trying to be all slick – ‘Oh it’s beautiful up there,’ but Iona really summed it up. It really was a bit smelly and I hadn’t showered for six weeks. Not a single shower.”
Ben is obviously a devoted dad but also keen to show his children how important it is to think about others. “When we take them travelling, we visit disadvantaged communities in some of the world's poorest countries. I want to give them a fully rounded understanding of how the world is. The Grenfell Tower tragedy was not far from where we live in West London and we tried to help; Ludo and Iona donated their own toys and belongings. Also, on their birthdays, we give a gift or money to a charity in place of another present.”
As he spends so much time travelling how does he manage to balance it all with his family life? “When we are together, it’s proper, quality time. I think we are a great team but Marina definitely puts up with a lot due to the nature of my job. For the last four or five years we all go as a family to a house on an island over Christmas and New Year. Having that four weeks together guaranteed over the winter with no distractions, is just heavenly. It’s such an important time; we talk, learn a lot about each other and we really value it. It makes the rest of the year a little bit easier. And we have the same in the summer now. I take a full month off work to travel with them around Europe.”
All his family live within walking distance of each other. “We have a very busy, noisy house. And I love that. I am the happiest of all with my family.”
So what’s next? After a few weeks aclimatising Ben will be filming a new series of Animal Park with Kate Humble. He’s also planning to do some talks in schools to help inspire young children to follow their dreams. Ben, who is patron of a charity for young people called the Anything Is Possible Foundation, says: “It’s all about inspiring young kids. I want to translate what I went through and what I did to inspire people.”
‘I wanted to succeed at this because a lot of my life has been dogged by failure and as I have got older, and have become a father, I wanted to show my children that you shouldn’t shy away from confronting those fears’