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Sir Ranulph's triumphs and tribulations
21 May 2009Described by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has refused to let a double heart bypass dent his spirit of adventure.
Everest held painful memories for the quintessential English hero. In 2005 the adventurer suffered a heart attack during an unsuccessful attempt to scale the mountain.
But the same indomitable spirit that allowed Sir Ranulph to run seven marathons in seven consecutive days in 2003 saw him return to Everest in 2008 only to fail in his bid to reach the summit, before finally succeeding early today at the third attempt.
But 65-year-old Sir Ranulph's motives are not purely driven by personal ambition and his expeditions have already raised millions for charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.
As well as his own medical set backs Sir Ranulph had to overcome the death of his wife Virginia, known as Ginny, after a short battle with cancer in February 2004 aged just 56.
The pair were childhood sweethearts and met when he was just 12 years old.
They married in 1970 and Sir Ranulph once said that his marriage was the greatest achievement in his remarkable life.
Sir Ranulph's doughty character was formed by an early childhood spent in South Africa before being sent to top public school Eton aged 12.
A promising Army career with the Royal Scots Greys, and later the SAS, was cut short in 1968 when he was dismissed for blowing up the set of the film Dr Doolittle in a prank that went wrong.
However, it was after leaving the army that Sir Ranulph achieved his full potential and circumnavigated the globe from Pole to Pole in a three-year, 35,000 mile trek. He was the first man to reach both Poles by surface means.
Sir Ranulph was also part of a team that discovered the lost city of Ubar, described by Lawrence of Arabia as the Atlantis of the Sands.
In 1993 Sir Ranulph was an awarded an OBE by the Queen for human endeavour. An endeavour never better demonstrated than during his attempt at a solo expedition to reach the North Pole unsupported.
Sir Ranulph plunged his hand into icy water to retrieve a lost sledge and suffered extreme frost bite. As a result of the injury he lost all of the fingers on his left hand below the knuckle.
Over the years Sir Ranulph has raised millions of pounds for medical research - particularly for multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.
Sir Ranulph's cousins, Hollywood actors Joseph (Shakespeare in Love) and Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), will be celebrating their relative's latest accomplishment.
Prince Charles once said that his admiration for Sir Ranulph was "unbounded" and it remains to be seen what more this man can achieve in his life.
