S17, Ep7 Sir Ranulph Fiennes on adventure, fertility and living up to his father’s memory

TW: infertility

You wait years for one globally renowned adventurer to come onto How To Fail, and then two appear in the same season! First it was Bear Grylls and now it's the turn of his mentor, Sir Ranulph Fiennes. I spoil you, I really do.
Sir Ranulph is one of the greatest British explorers - a man who has raised millions of pounds for charity through his exploits, which include the first north-south surface circumnavigation of the world, crossing Antarctica on foot and running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents despite suffering a heart attack and undergoing a double coronary artery bypass just four months before. He is also the oldest Briton ever to summit Mount Everest.
He joins me to talk about failing to follow in his late father's footsteps by flunking the Sandurst admission, his competitive drive, the dangers of solo expeditions and - in one especially memorable passage - the time he sawed off his own frostbitten fingers (those of a squeamish disposition may want to skip that bit). And, in a particularly moving exchange, we talk about his inability to have a child with his late wife, Ginny despite several rounds of IVF and a desire to adopt. Regular listeners will know how passionate I am about bringing converstaions around fertility to the fore. It is very rare to hear men talk about it and I'm so grateful to Ranulph for opening up to me. Spoiler alert - there is a happy ending in that Ranulph now has a teenage daughter with his second wife.

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Ranulph Fiennes' latest book, Climb Your Mountain: Everyday Lessons from an Extraordinary Life, is out now and available to purchase here.

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You can donate to one of Sir Ranulph's favourite charities, Marie Curie, here.

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How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Day. To contact us, email howtofailpod@gmail.com

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How To Fail @howtofailpod

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