Education
She attended Lowes Wong Junior School in nearby Southwell before going to The Rodney School in Kirklington.
She attended Lowes Wong Junior School in nearby Southwell before going to The Rodney School in Kirklington.
Born in Upton, Nottinghamshire, England, Fiona was into sports as a child, especially gymnastics, horse-racing and ice-skating. Later, Fiona worked as an administrator for the Royal Air Force where she able to gain experience in flying and gliding. Mike also had ambitions to cross the South Pole overland, and these plans encouraged Fiona to follow suit.
In 2000, Michael and Fiona became the first married couple to reach the South Pole, along with Catherine Hartley.
In 2001, Mike and Fiona set up an expedition to reach the North Pole, raising money for charity in the process. Guiding them was Canadian mountaineer and arctic adventurer Paul Landry.
They reached their destination in 56 days. The previous record was 44 days, and the previous best for a woman was 50 days - by the Norwegian Liv Arneson.
Walking 22 miles a day, Fiona had to pull a sledge weighing 285 pounds, and her success is perhaps even more remarkable considering she lost her satellite navigation system 10 days in.