Swimmer stops record attempt to care for autistic son

Endurance swimmer Beth French from Somerset has decided to call an end to her record breaking attempt to swim seven oceans in a year.

The 38-year-old from Milverton near Taunton said the challenge was putting too much strain on her 8 year old autistic son.

ITV West Country presenter Mark Longhurst spoke to Beth on Skype and asked her if it had been worth it.

To date, only six people have completed the Oceans7′s gruelling list over their lifetime. One woman managed four in a year. Beth was tackling all seven of the epic swims in a single 12 month period to become the first person in history to complete Oceans7 as a swim series.

She spoke to ITV News Westcountry before starting the record breaking attempt in September last year:

It was during swim number five that Beth decided that it was time to stop. She was tackling the Tsugaru Strait in Japan when her perspective on the challenge changed.

Many of Beth's supporters have been tracking her progress online, and she's received numerous messages of support after posting about her decision on facebook this morning.