Can Pippa beat the big, bouncy balls?

Pippa Bamford

AN Oldham foster carer and former cancer sufferer has taken on a TV challenge in a bid to prove that life really is for living.

Primary school teacher Pippa Bamford (38) tackles the assault course on Saturday’s edition of the BBC show “Total Wipeout”.

Although she admits to not being the most active of people, Pippa was keen to take on the challenge for a very special reason.

She said: “Four years ago my dentist found a lump in my gum and referred me straight away, I had it removed and it turned out to be cancer.

“I had two operations and radiotherapy, it wasn’t a great time.

“It has given me a totally different attitude, to take advantage of life and do anything you want.

“It was all very spontaneous but I wanted my 15 minutes of fame and I thought why not?”

After giving up her full-time job to become a foster carer, she decided to take on the famous course that puts it’s victims through mud-filled obstacles, trapezes over water and giant inflatable balls.

Donning a home-made t-shirt reading “Let me play with your big red balls” as a cheeky pun, she won a place over hundreds of others after auditioning in Manchester.

She was then whisked to Argentina, where the programme is filmed.

She said: “The course was so hard it was unbelievable. It was the most exhausting thing I have ever done.

“There are hundreds of people around you filming but you’re so alone when you’re doing it, it’s so tiring and I was quite emotional when I got to the end.”

Better known as Miss Bamford to her pupils, Pippa now works as a supply teacher.

She said: “My pupils will think it’s fantastic, they’ll be amazed when they see it.”

Tune in to the episode on BBC One this Saturday to see how far she gets.