Beth French reveals how ME inspired her to take up extreme swimming

April 1, 2019

Extreme swimmer Beth French reveals how debilitating ME inspired her to take up the Ocean’s Seven challenge after disease saw her ‘unable to lift a hairbrush’ and battle anorexia as a teen

Beth French aimed to complete the Ocean’s 7 challenge in less a year in 2017
It involves swimming across seven open-water crossings across the world
Appeared on Lorraine and revealed being diagnosed with ME inspired her
A film will be released in May to tell the story of 41-year-old Beth’s challenge

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An extreme swimmer who vowed to complete the Ocean’s Seven challenge in less than a year has told how ME inspired her to take up the sport.

Massage therapist Beth French, 41, from Somerset, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine on Monday and revealed that becoming wheelchair-bound as a teenager inspired her to write a bucket list which included swimming across the seven open-water crossings across the world – in just a year.

The single mother decided to abandon the challenge after completing four impressive swims in 2017, revealing that the maternal guilt she felt for her autistic son Dylan, now 10, made her rethink her priorities.

Admitting that the strength to say no was ‘undersold’, Beth has now revealed how she battled bulimia and mental health disorders as a teenager, as she struggled to come to terms with her illness.

Beth French, 41, from Somerset, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine on Monday and revealed that becoming wheelchair-bound as a teenager due to ME inspired her to write a bucket list which included swimming across the world’s seven water crossings

Speaking on the morning show, Beth recalled how her symptoms started, explaining: ‘I started to get ill when I was 10, they thought it was glandular fever at first.

‘I went from being the captain of sports teams at school to waking up and being unable to lift a hairbrush.

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‘I started to really suffer with bad mental health problems and then I was finally diagnosed with ME by which point I was in wheelchair following bulimia and other eating issues.

‘I was told there was nothing that could be done but then comedian Victoria Wood’s sketch inspired me and I thought I could swim to France.’

The extreme swimmer vowed to complete the Ocean’s 7 challenge in less than a year told how ME inspired her to take up the sport- she is seen swimming as part of her challenge

Beth’s mother took her to see an alternative therapist at 17, who introduced her to a new way of thinking and gave her the idea to make a bucket list.

‘Swimming the channel was first thing I put on the list and last thing I struck off’, she said.

What is the seven oceans challenge?

The challenge is to swim across the seven open-water crossings across the world, which are:

The North Channel (between Ireland and Scotland)
The Cook Strait in New Zealand
The Molokai Channel in Hawaii
The English Channel
The Catalina Channel in California
The Tsugaru Strait in Japan
The Strait of Gibraltar

‘Then I fell pregnant after being told in my mid-twenties that I could never have a child, and I quickly realised that I would be a single mother’.

Keen to keep her own identity, Beth added: ‘I trained while my son was asleep and it gave me such a sense of empowerment and control.’

Speaking about the swimming challenge, which has been recorded in film, Ocean’s 7 – due to be released on May 7th, she said: ‘Because of ME I decided I wanted to see if I could swim the seven channels, then I discovered my son had learning difficulties and he needed to be home schooled.’

Beth continued to work her busy training schedule around Dylan’s homeschooling, but when she realised the anxiety her absences were causing, decided to abandon the challenge.

Speaking on the morning show, Beth recalled how her symptoms started, explaining: ‘I went from being the captain of sports teams at school to waking up and being unable to lift a hairbrush’

Speaking about the swimming challenge, which has been recorded in film, Ocean’s 7 – due to be released on May 7th, she said: ”Because of ME I decided I wanted to see if I could swim the seven channels

The seven oceans challenge is to swim across the seven open-water crossings across the world, seen

Revealing that she didn’t regret it and she had fulfilled her own goal, she said: ‘There is a strength that is undersold which is the strength to say no. I stopped for my child – I didn’t have many more channels left to do to do but I no longer feel I have to.’

Beth was praised for her bravery on Twitter, with one followers commending her for highlighting ME.

‘I was diagnosed with life-changing CFS/ME just over a year ago, so to hear Beth talking about the condition and raising awareness is fantastic! I find it extraordinary that so little is known despite 250,000 sufferers in UK,’ one follower wrote.

Beth was praised for her bravery on Twitter, with one followers commending her for highlighting ME

WHAT IS CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME?

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalopathy (ME) causes patients to suffer severe and debilitating fatigue.

Other symptoms include painful muscles, disturbed sleep, poor memory and reduced concentration.

In many causes CFS’ cause is unclear, however, it has been linked to infections, operations and accidents.

Some patients return to full health and others deteriorate progressively, however, most fluctuate between good and bad periods.

There is no cure for CFS, with the majority of treatments to reduce symptoms being ineffective.

CFS has atrracted controversy with many doctors previously questioning whether it is a true condition.

The World Health Organization and the Department of Health recognise CFS as a medical condition.

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