Emerging from the Antarctic Ocean during his seventh Ironman triathlon in 21 days, as part of his gruelling and record-breaking endurance sports fundraiser PROJECT SE7EN, you would imagine that Spencer Matthews was quaking with the cold. But, as he told Laura Fox on 2fm, the opposite was the case.
"If you'd believe it, I was boiling hot after the swim", he said. "I didn't wear a jacket at all because, I'll tell you why, I had a choice basically between two wet suits.
"I had a kind of elite swim wet suit which I would have been able to swim properly in and well in, that I would have been freezing cold in and would have very likely felt onset-hypothermia, would have potentially had to take a break and go back out. It would have protected me up to about 6 degrees, and the water I was in was 0 degrees.
"The other option was a scuba diving wetsuit, a big thick 13mm neoprene wet suit that is very buoyant and probably sounds like a nice idea, but it's horrendous."
He recalled ripping a hole in the leg of the suit as he tried to put it on, which he called "the worst experience I've ever had", leaving him and his team to duct tape the hole so that he could complete the punishing swim.
Matthews swam the length of 40 football fields, followed by an 18-hour, 51-minute bicycle race and a full marathon, which dramatically closed out the project, one that he said was his most taxing yet.
Still, the former Made in Chelsea star has clarity on why he committed to completing it: raising money for James' Place, a male suicide prevention charity.
"When things were really rough, it was pretty easy to think that my life, even in this precise moment, isn't as bad as men who are considering taking their own lives and we're trying to make a dent in those awful numbers."
Matthews has become known for his feats of endurance over recent years, a pivot in a career that began on television and has included launching his own alcohol-free drinks line, CleanCo. What drives him to take on ever more challenges?
"I have a desire to push myself as well, I want to set a great example for my kids", he told Laura.
"I used to be - ashamed is maybe the wrong word. I've been saying I'm ashamed of who I used to be. It's a personal thing. I regret, I suppose, a lot of how I used to be and how I lost control with alcohol and how I was really on the outside of my own family. For me, putting some distance between that and who I am today is great and hopefully helping people realise that they can go and do that thing they've been putting off."
He also wants to be an example to people who might be struggling like he was: "If you're the kind of person that's sat there thinking I can't run a marathon or that's not for me, if you want to run a marathon, you absolutely can run a marathon! Just get out and take the risk, if you fail you'll learn something, get back out there again, don't give up, keep doing it, you know?"
As for whether he's always on top of his good habits, Matthews - who is in Dublin with Benecol to discuss habit stacking - said he's "there or therabouts" but tries to remind himself to do the things that make him feel best.
Habit stacking, he said, can be a way to attach new practices to things you already enjoy: "I find that if you stack positive behaviour and healthy behaviour on top of pre-existing rituals, if you will, it's easier not to forget them."
Matthews, for example, said he takes his supplements when he brushes his teeth or when he has his morning coffee.
"I'm doing the stuff I know I should be doing to feel proud. There's nothing worse than getting into a cycle, and I've been there for years, when you know you're doing the wrong thing, but you're just doing them anyway because you can't really break it, you can't really get out of there."
To listen back to the full interview, click the link above.
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
