22 August 2023 , 12:43
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Doc Martin actress Joanna Scanlan has revealed she almost drowned while enjoying her honeymoon.
The star who has appeared in the ITV comedy-drama as Dr Diana Dibbs had been enjoying downtime at Durdle Door in Dorset with her husband, Neil, following their wedding in 2009 when she came into difficulty. The actress, 61, is an experienced swimmer and is no stranger to the open water. But as she headed towards the famous arch, things took a drastic turn.
Speaking about her experience, Joanna explained she couldn't make any headway and was later confronted by huge waves, which she wasn't able to tackle. This made her realise she was out of her depth and needed serious help.
Joanna Scanlan has revealed she almost drowned while on her honeymoon (RNLI)
The actress admits that she's a confident swimmer so didn't panic too much (Getty Images)"What I felt in that moment was, there's a real danger, a genuine danger of potentially drowning," she said on the RNLI's 200 Voices podcast before continuing: "We were very close to Durdle Door which is a famous arch out in the water on the south coast and that is a well-known place for people to swim through.
"I thought, I was very overconfident 'I'm just going to swim through Durdle Door', jumped into the waves and thought 'This is no problem'. I got quite close and couldn't, just couldn't make any headway. I turned around to swim back into the shore and then saw just how huge these waves were."
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The West Kirby-born actress added: "I started to swim back in and I wasn't getting anywhere, I was going nowhere. So now I'm stuck more or less like the centre of a washing machine and I just had to say to myself 'You have to do this', it took me about an hour to get in.
"It taught me a lesson and made me realise that it's when you feel overconfident, it's when you think there's nothing, nothing can touch you, 'I'm just going to have fun', that it can come back and bite you. Luckily, I think because I do love the water and I feel very at home in the water, I didn't panic. So I know that you can turn on your back, you can float and you can take a rest and you can just get your breathing back into some ordinary pattern."
Joanna and her husband were enjoying time at Durdle Door when she came into difficulty (Getty Images)Joanna, who is an ambassador for the RNLI has been supporting their fundraising campaign with Omaze, allowing those who enter to be in with a chance of winning £100,000 in cash as well as a home worth £4.5m in Norfolk. While Durdle Door may seem like the perfect place to take a dip and cool off from the scorching summer weather, Steve Instance, RNLI's Regional Water Safety Lead previously explained that lifeguards do not patrol the beach or swimming spot.
He said: "Durdle Door is a very attractive location and while it's very tempting to swim there, all visitors must be aware that there is no lifeguard service at either Durdle Door or Lulworth Cove. We would urge people not to swim near to the door at Durdle Door as the area is prone to stronger currents as the tide moves faster funnelling through the arch.
"We would also strongly urge people not to jump from the rocks, it is incredibly dangerous with several submerged rocks and jumping from such a height can and has caused serious injury and death."
To be in with a chance of winning the beautiful house in Norfolk, whilst supporting The RNLI at the same time, visit https://goto.omaze.co.uk/RNLIPress