Dame Ellen receives French honour

Nicolas Sarkozy was delighted to meet Dame Ellen MacArthur

Nicolas Sarkozy was full of praise for Dame Ellen MacArthur as he presented her with France's highest honour.

The French President awarded MacArthur, 32, with the Legion d'Honneur at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich as part of his state visit to Britain.

"Your courage, tenacity and talent have made you a woman admired and loved on both sides of the channel," he said.

"The deep affection the French and British feel for you is one of the raw emotions at the uniting of two people."

The yachtswoman first shot to prominence in 2001 when she single-handedly raced non-stop around the world in the Vendee Globe Race aged just 24.

Four years later she surpassed this achievement by breaking the world record for a solo voyage around the world, which has since been broken by Frenchman Francis Joyon.

"It's not only your long list of feats which explains your place in our hearts," the President added.

"It's also your boundless generosity constantly conveyed by what you do, what you say and the way you look at the world about you."