(I = Interviewer; N = Nelly)

I: Welcome to this week's edition of Heroes. Today we have the popular television presenter, Nelly B, in the studio. Nelly, hello and welcome.

N: Thank you. It's lovely to be here.

I: Nelly, who is your hero and why?

N: My hero is Debra Veal because she spent 113 days alone at sea in a rowing boat.

I: Yes, that is pretty amazing, isn't it? Why did she do it?

N: Well, that's a good question. She started a trans-Atlantic race with her husband, Andrew, but he left after two weeks. He was frightened of the ocean.

I: How did she feel when Andrew left her?

N: I think she was relieved when he left. She just wanted him to be happy and healthy again.

I: What was the main danger of being alone on the boat?

N: It was difficult for her to sleep, because she was frightened of big ships. The tankers are enormous and they can't see a small boat.

I: Did she have any bad experiences?

N: She was frightened of sharks, and one night there was a very big one under the boat - but it wasn't interested in her - it was only interested in eating the fish under the boat.

I: Did she feel lonely?

N: Very lonely. Before the trip, she never spent time alone. She has an identical twin who was with her for the first twenty years of her life, and then she met Andrew.

I: What did she miss most?

N: Well, of course she missed people. But the other thing was fresh food. She missed vegetables and salad. And glasses of red wine.

I: Was Andrew there when she arrived in Barbados?

N: Oh yes, of course. Andrew was there to meet her with a bottle of champagne.

I: And she deserved it! Nelly, thank you so much. Debra Veal is an inspiration. Next week we'll be talking to …

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