There were times when I honestly didn't think I was going to make it Catherine Hartley

Ms Hartley admitted she found the trek very difficult, and had been afraid she might be forced to drop out because of the harsh weather.

Speaking from the South Pole, the 34-year-old said: "I am absolutely elated because the journey was a real struggle for me."

"I had to fight every inch of the way to get here and there were times when I honestly didn't think I was going to make it."

"To be here is absolutely thrilling and quite unbelievable."

Ms Hartley said her motive for undertaking the expedition was a "driving force of adventure".

"Antarctica is one of the last unexplored wildernesses," she added.

Ms Hartley, a floor manager at the BBC, and Mrs Thornewill, a 33-year-old recruitment consultant, underwent a rigorous training programme in the months preceding the trek. This included running while dragging tyres behind them, in preparation for the 200lb (90.7kg) sledges used to carry their supplies.

The group had originally hoped to reach the South Pole before the New Year but bad weather delayed the start of the trek by a few days.

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