EMOTIONAL TIES Ben Fogle on the little things that mean the most - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Celebrity EMOTIONAL TIES Ben Fogle on the little things that mean the most By You Magazine - April 14, 2019 Presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle on losing his wedding ring, posing in lederhosen and an icy memento from Everest. Gemma Day Gemma Day When I reached the summit of Everest, I scooped some ice into my drinking bottle as I’d run out of water and hoped it would melt. After I got back to base camp, I decided to keep it, so I had a special bottle made with an inscription – it’s my lucky water. Gemma Day My wife Marina is Austrian, so we spend every summer there, it is the happiest time of my year. This photo is of us with our children Ludo [now nine] and Iona [now seven] in tracht, the national dress – Austrians really do wear lederhosen all summer. Gemma Day I got this Breitling Emergency watch when James Cracknell and I rowed across the Atlantic. It has a beacon – if you’re in trouble, you pull a pin and a helicopter comes. I signed a waiver saying if it was a drunken call-out, I’d have to pay a lot of money. Gemma Day This is my son’s bear, named ‘Poder’ because Ludo couldn’t say polar bear when he was little. He’s had it since he was born; it travels with us wherever we go. I have heart palpitations about losing Poder – it’s unique and can’t be replaced. Gemma Day I’m acutely aware of the environment but I’m far from perfect – I love Land Rovers and fly too much. I do try to reduce my carbon footprint a little bit by travelling around London on my electric bike. A lot of people raise their eyebrows but I love riding it. Gemma Day If you ask people how I dress they’d say, ‘a pair of shorts and desert boots’ because that’s my uniform. These boots are named after Norman Schwarzkopf – the army general during Desert Storm, the first Gulf War. I’ve had three pairs. Gemma Day My first wedding ring fell into a lake six hours after we got married, so I’ve always been nervous about losing this one. On Everest, it’s dangerous to wear rings because your body starts to swell, so we made this necklace as a family in Sri Lanka before I went. Gemma Day Storm is my second labrador. I met Marina while walking Inca – who was my first. I’m the son of a vet and grew up with golden retrievers. Dogs have always loomed large in our lives but labradors have the nicest personalities: kind, loyal and caring. Words: Emily Hill Ben’s new children’s book Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit is published by HarperCollins, price £5.99. To order a copy for £4.79 until 28 April, visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640; P&P is free on orders over £15. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR 50 of the best celebrity Halloween costumes of all time Shirley Ballas ‘ Strictly gave me back my hope’ Davina McCall discusses how men can help women going through the menopause Popular in Celebrity Beauty vlogger Nic Chapman opens up about her diagnosis and troubled August 22, 2017 Quickfire with Strictly veteran Anton Du Beke December 5, 2017 Yolanda Kettle reveals what it’ s like playing the other woman February 12, 2018 The billion-dollar baby club The celebrity children living it large April 15, 2018 Tom and Giovanna Fletcher talk married life and working with your June 3, 2018 Jacqueline Gold ‘ I want to give women confidence’ July 15, 2018 Quickfire Comedian Alex Horne on Gary The Gorilla losing his trousers August 26, 2018 ‘ I’ m probably overindulgent with him’ Elizabeth Hurley reveals the most important September 30, 2018 One s best friends The Queen’ s corgis and their doggy dynasty October 28, 2018 Ruth Wilson will play her own grandmother in this new BBC November 21, 2018 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved