Exclusive After a gruelling 2,000-mile kayak down the Amazon, Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton has finally glammed up for our photoshoot.

Cute, sexy and stylish - this is how we're used to seeing Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton. But just days ago the gorgeous blonde was sure she'd never feel glamorous again.

She'd spent 38 days in the sweltering heat, kayaking the length of the Amazon on her own to break an amazing two world records for Sport Relief. And she quickly gave up any ideas of trying to look good for the cameras.

"Before I left I was determined to keep myself looking nice," laughs Helen, 26. "I knew I'd be on camera all the time so planned to wear a little bit of make-up and keep my hair tidy. But after three days of huge panda eyes after the tiny bit of mascara I wore melted down my face and my soaking hair got frizzier in the heat, I just gave up. I went a week without even brushing my hair."

And to add to her beauty worries, northern lass Helen was stuck in the same unflattering clothes every day - and for much of the time they smelled pretty nasty.

"It's so embarrassing, I stank of vomit half the time," she says. "I was throwing up because of the motion sickness. But I couldn't lean out to the sides to be sick because the kayak would have tipped over, so I had to vomit straight ahead - all over myself. It was disgusting.

"And to make things worse, the crew needed me in the same clothes for different shots to keep the continuity going - that meant I had to put on these horrible, stinky things again and again. They didn't even look nice. I was wearing unflattering white blouses with tiny, tiny hotpant cycling shorts. That's not a look I would ever voluntarily go for - I've got pretty 'strong' legs shall we say, so not the best pins for hotpants!"

And size 10 Helen has noticed a difference in her body since the epic 2,010 mile challenge. "I expected to lose loads of weight after all that!" she laughs. "But in reality it didn't end up that way, I just got really strong. My thighs are like rock which is quite cool, and my arms have got much stronger.

"Joel and Andy, my co-presenters on Blue Peter, have been taking the mickey out of me since I got back about how big my shoulders have got. The one place I've really slimmed down is my waist."

As well as this adventure, Helen's job has presented her with other major challenges, including a 78-mile 24-hour ultra-marathon in the Namibian desert as well as the London and New York marathons. But despite all the exciting things she gets up to, most people only want to ask one question.

"Have I got a bloke? It's so weird because even though I'm having all these adventures, old friends, and everyone really, expects a girl my age to be looking for a bloke to settle down with.

"Lots of my school friends have kids and husbands and are settled so it feels like they can't quite understand the way I think. I remember coming home after travelling across Turkey one time, and another time after swimming between two continents, and the first question was the same - any guys on the scene? Oh my God!

"Maybe I'm missing the point, but I'm only 26 and I'm having a great time. I don't want to go out with some bloke just because it's what you're 'supposed' to do.

"My brother Gavin is rarely someone I'd go to for advice, but every time I've had a boyfriend he always says, 'What does he actually bring to the table?' It's so right. Unless you're genuinely into someone, don't waste your time or theirs."

And ambitious Helen showed how she wasn't willing to waste her time back in 2008 when then boyfriend Scottish premier league footballer David Graham, was caught out sending racey text messages to a model.

"I don't have any bitterness towards him, it just didn't work out," says Helen, who was clear during their relationship she didn't want to be seen as a WAG. "I couldn't change what he did or may have done - all you can do is look after yourself.

"There's no point crying over spilt milk, that'll just give you wrinkles. If you want your life to work out one way, you've got to make decisions, you can't wait for someone to make them for you."