Daredevil reporter Janine Kelso has raised more than £700 for charity after jumping out of a plane and plummeting through the air at 120mph.
The 26-year-old, who works for Archant’s Hornsey Journal, completed a tandem skydive for Action for Kids, which helps give independence to young disabled people.
And strapped to professional freefall parachute instructor Tim Porter – who told her skydiving was safer than crossing the road – Janine made the 12,000ft jump in Headcorn in Kent.
Despite Tim’s reassurances Janine had still been overcome with waves of fear and nausea before the stunt, but her worries were soon blown away.
She said: “Skydiving did not feel like falling, it was like floating on a cushion of air.
“The icy wind whipped against my face and rang in my ears, but it was the most exhilarating and unreal sensation that I have ever experienced.
“After 45 seconds of freefalling, Tim opened the parachute and everything went quiet. I was able to take control of steering toggles to make us move right and left, and I was suddenly struck by the breathtaking beauty of the land below us.
“We made a smooth landing and I could not take the smile off my face for the rest of the day.”