Sir Ranulph Fiennes said he was “frustrated” at being forced to pull out of an expedition across Antarctica because of frostbite.
The 68-year-old was injured in a fall while skiing during training at a base camp in Antarctica and developed frostbite after taking off his outer gloves to fix a ski binding in temperatures of around minus 33C.
It has forced Sir Ranulph to quit the Coldest Journey expedition, which has been five years in the planning, but he will continue to support the project through fundraising.
Although Sir Ranulph has had to give up the challenge, his team-mates will continue with the 2,000-mile trek, which they are expected to embark on later this month.
Hailed as the last great polar challenge, the journey across the Antarctic has never been attempted during the winter.
The team will experience some of the toughest conditions on earth near permanent darkness and temperatures as low as minus 90C during their six-month journey.
Describing how he felt at having to pull out, Sir Ranulph said: “It is extremely frustrating. I started working on this expedition five years ago.
“I’ve been working on it and nothing else full time and unpaid for five years so it is definitely frustrating but unavoidable and I will make the best of it by putting my focus full time on to making my focus entirely on the expedition team.”
Sir Ranulph said the other aims of the challenge were to carry out “intense”scientific research and for an educational programme, but above all to raise money for the charity Seeing Is Believing which is committed to eradicating preventable blindness in the developing world.