“DON’T LET THE SMILE FOOL YOU — I WAS BREAKING.” The truth finally erupts as Sara Cox admits the brutal reality behind her five-day marathon challenge — a test so punishing it left her barely able to stand, let alone walk. Insiders say her feet were so swollen they “looked like they belonged to someone else,” her Crocs were crushed flat, and the pain was so sharp she nearly collapsed off-camera. But the real shock came when Sara confessed the moment she thought her body was “seconds away from shutting down” — a chilling admission that has fans stunned. “I pushed past the point of pain… then past the point after that,” she said. A smile was all the world saw. The suffering was everything she hid.

Sara Cox has revealed she is “barely able to walk” after completing her grueling Children In Need challenge, where she pushed her body to the limit by running five marathons in five days. The Radio 2 presenter admitted the aftermath has been far tougher than she ever imagined, even though the emotional high of raising more than £10 million has made the pain “mean the absolute world.”

Speaking just days after finishing the 135-mile feat, Sara confessed she genuinely believed she’d be home in time to “take the dogs for a gentle walk” at the weekend — only to realise she could hardly move. She told BBC Breakfast that “I can’t really walk!” and joked that she had to “wrestle” her feet into a pair of Crocs because they were so swollen with fluid.

Describing her recovery, she said it felt like “when you have the flu and you make a brew at the end, and you’re completely wiped out — I’m like that.”

Despite the exhaustion, Sara has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the public. She said the astonishing £10,169,084 raised came from “the fivers, tenners and twenties of Radio 2 listeners and Children In Need supporters who each gave their hard-earned cash,” adding that their kindness “means the absolute world.”

A BBC camera crew followed her across the challenge for the documentary Sara Cox: Every Step of the Way for Children In Need, which airs on BBC One on November 19.

Sara also revealed the unexpected celebrity who helped carry her through the final stretch: Stormzy. She said she blasted his music in the last few miles, and was thrilled when he sent her a personal message calling her achievement “insane” and saying he was “very proud” of her for completing “five more marathons than I’ve done in my life.”

He ended his message with: “Massive congrats, God bless you and take care, lots of love.”