Meet the 'phenomenal' 73-year-old Torbay woman who is the oldest to swim an ice mile

• Watch world record holder Gerrie catch up with ITV News' Claire Manning

A 73-year-old woman from Torbay has broken the world record for the oldest person to swim what's called the 'ice mile'.

Gerrie Roberts set the record in the Cairngorms in Scotland - and she did it wearing only a normal swimming costume and a silicone cap.

She swam a mile for nearly an hour in icy waters at 2.5C but says her preparation kept her going.

She said: "That was the coldest ever for me for that endurance at that time but it was my day and I am so pleased, but it is the training, definitely the training.

"I paced myself out, I didn't burn myself out. I just keep going really, your body does get used to it but it is still just as painful while you are doing the swimming.

"You do sometimes think what the hell am I doing here. I'm not a fast swimmer but I pace myself and I try to get there and I usually do!"

Ice swimming is swimming in water at five degrees celsius or less, wearing just a standard costume, goggles and one swim hat.

Gerrie says she couldn’t do any of this without her husband Clive who acts as her driver, dresser and training safety officer.

He said: "It is an absolutely phenomenal thing to have done.

"When you consider there are only around 550 people who have ever swum and official ice mile - ever!

"And there are more people than that every year that climb Everest."

In the next few weeks she'll find out if she's won the 'Woman of the Year', at the World Open Water Swimming Awards.