Lydia Bright saw her "life flash before her eyes" when she took part in the skeleton on 'The Jump'.

Lydia Bright

Lydia Bright

The 27-year-old star has proved one of the front runners in the winter sports show but she has admitted the sliding challenge, which sees a person ride a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, was terrifying - despite her skiing experience - and she "cried her eyes out" the first time she did it.

Asked if her ex-boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent had given her some advice prior to the show considering he took part in the competition last year, she explained: "He told me just to have fun with it and go for it. He loved the whole experience but told me the skeleton is the scariest thing he's ever done in his life. The first time I did it, I cried my eyes out - you see your life flash before your eyes."

Although she seems to be doing really well on the Austrian slopes, 'The Only Way is Essex' beauty needed some gentle persuasion from her parents when she was first approached for the series.

Speaking to the Metro newspaper, she said: "Being out here is the fourth time I've skied, so I had a little bit of experience. But we're being trained by the best of the best so, although I thought I was really good, when my skiing was dissected I realised I probably wasn't doing it very well... Obviously it was something I had to factor in when I was deciding whether to do it. But there are injuries within all winter sports - every time I go skiing I put myself at risk. My parents were the ones who were like: 'Go for it!' "

Lydia has made no secret of the fact she'd like to meet someone and settle down in the future but she's adamant she won't find love on the Austrian slopes because she's too focused on the competition.

She said: "I am single but I'm not going to mingle out here - I don't really feel I'm keen to find an Austrian man and there's no one on the show. But when I get back, we'll see. I haven't got a specific type, just someone who makes me laugh and happy."