VIDEO: Headfirst into the diving challenge

As silly as it may sound, trying to convince myself that I would survive if I tried a pike fall dive was a tall order.

I couldn’t face plunging head first and keeping a straight body without screaming, much to the amusement of my coaches Dave Jenkins and Harry Glover at Luton’s Inspire Sports Village.

After going back to basics by practising the fall at the poolside, it became mind over matter and by sheer determination I finally mastered it.

But, of course, as luck would have it, the lightbulb moment happened when the video camera had stopped recording!

Something I hadn’t envisioned before getting involved in this unique sport was how frustrated I would get when your mind is saying one thing, but your body decides to do another.

Regardless, at the end of my lesson, Dave and Harry both said I had made a huge improvement, before joking they could see me performing alongside them and a host of Olympic divers at next year’s Splash!

The show, which is set to make a return for a second series, won over a peak audience of 6.5m on Saturday night and celebrated the series champion Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards.

I was lucky enough to meet everyone after the show who had nothing but praise for the show that saw celebrities battle it out to become a talented diver under the instruction of Olympian, Tom Daley.

The 18-year-old has faced intense pressure and scrutiny already at such a young age, but it is clear to see he remains to be the lovely boy millions fell for in his plight to become a gold-medal champion.

Perhaps I won’t be joining him in that goal, but I have felt extremely inspired by being local to the sports centre that was chosen to be aired to millions of people.

And as I continue my ten-week course to diving superstardom, it’s great to see the children and adults who have dared to try something new and have been inspired.

@LBOamanda