Told he'll never walk again, Kenton Cool just climbed Everest a record 16th time

He may have seen it 16 times but he says the view from the top never gets old, as ITV News Correspondent Ben Chapman reports

A British mountaineer has said standing on top of the world never gets old after he scaled Mount Everest for a record-breaking 16th time - 26 years on from being told he won't walk again.

Speaking to ITV News from Everest's base camp, tKenton Cool said the achievement "hasn't really sunk in yet," as he had been focussed on getting up and down the mountain safely.

Mr Cool, 48, who reached the summit of the 8,849-metre peak overnight on Saturday, has completed the most number of Everest climbs by any non-Sherpa.

Standing on top of the world is 'amazing', says Kenton Cool

The mountaineer was told he would never walk again unaided after he shattered both heel bones in a rock-climbing accident in 1996.

He defied those predictions with a year of surgery and therapy, but still has chronic pain."If you asked me in 2004, which was my first ascent here, would you do it 16 times?' I'd laugh at you - and now I have done it 16 times," he said.

'It's a very special place and that's why I keep coming back.'

Mr Cool made it to the peak this time with British fitness entrepreneur Rebecca Louise, who was climbing the mountain for the first time.

In his previous 15 trips up Everest, he has been a guide to other well-known mountaineers, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes and broadcaster Ben Fogle.

Asked why he kept going back for more, Mr Cool said: "I love being out here in Nepal, it's a fantastic country. I love the people, I love the food, I love the culture, it's special."

He added he also loved Everest itself. "It's a very special mountain," he said. "It's a fun mountain to climb."

In a touching moment during the interview, Mr Cool's wife Jazz pointed out his beard had grown in the five weeks he had been away from home.