Gemma Atkinson has admitted that she 'felt a fraud' during her recent mountain trek for a breast cancer charity.
Gemma Atkinson
The 36-year-old actress spoke about how at first she felt like an imposter given that she has never been affected by cancer, but her determination was quickly boosted by hearing the stories of others.
She said: "I felt a bit of a fraud having not been personally affected by breast cancer. But having heard the women's stories, and the fact that many of them had cancer through no family gene or family history, I was like: 'Wow, this disease can really pick and choose who it wants.'
The former 'Emmerdale' star - who played Carly Hope between 2015 and 2017 - was team captain for the fundraising event which saw her hike 62 miles in the Scottish Highlands.
She was joined by 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' winner Giovanna Fletcher, 36, TV presenter Emma Willis, 45, and 'Great British Bake Off' star Candice Brown, 36, as well as 102 other women as they battled through the great outdoors in a bid to raise money for charity CoppaFeel.
Speaking to HELLO!, Gemma added: "Some of the women were still having treatment, so it was remarkable that they were able to do it at all."
Gemma kept her spirits up with a motivational message from her two-year-old daughter Mia, whom she shares with 'Strictly Come Dancing' professional dancer Gorka Marquez, 31.
She said: "I had a video of Mia saying, 'Keep walking!' So whenever we needed a motivational talk, we just watched the video."
Gemma noted that the hike - which she prepared for with six weeks of training - was at times like "walking in quicksand" but worth it for the view, which she described as "something out of a fairy tale book."
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