London - During her adrenaline-fuelled career as a champion Alpine skier, Chemmy Alcott endured a few bumps and knocks.
So when her first child, Locki, arrived last month, the former Olympic competitor wanted to be sure he would be ready for anything life throws at him.
For she has revealed she has chosen to store blood from the umbilical cord and placenta following her son’s birth as an ‘insurance policy’ in case of any future injuries or illnesses.
This is because the blood from the umbilical cord contains live-saving stem cells which can, according to the NHS website, be used to "treat many life-threatening diseases".
The sportswoman, 34, who competed for Team GB in four Winter Olympics, explained why she and her husband, fellow skier Dougie Crawford, decided on the treatment.
The procedure involves storing blood, called cord blood, left over from the umbilical cord and placenta soon after the birth.
The Dancing On Ice star said: "Thinking about how Dougie and I are adrenaline junkies, the likelihood that he’s one too is quite high."
She explained: "It’s an insurance policy you don’t ever want to use.
"I did some research into it a while ago when my leg was broken in a ski accident.
"I had to see a plastic surgeon who talked about how stem cells can be used to help the skin heal. So, I had quite a personal experience of it, knowing it might have been used to help me." Locki – whose full name is Lochlan Arthur MacDonald Crawford – was born on January 13 weighing 8lb 3oz.
Fittingly, the winter baby arrived during a snow storm. Miss Alcott, who lives in Hampton Court, West London, said: "The moment I was told I could start pushing.
"I could see it had started snowing outside. I got very teary and said to Dougie, 'This is it, he is coming. He is ready'."
Miss Alcott, who first took to the slopes at 18 months, said Locki will hopefully be following in his parents’ skiing tracks.
She told Hello! magazine: "Obviously Locki will be skiing because we ski all the time, but we just want him to love the sport and have the passion that we have for it as a lot of his life will be in the mountains – but it’s his choice," she said.