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Race Across The World champion Caroline has opened up about the personal battles she faced before her triumphant journey on the show.

The 61-year-old, alongside her son Tom, aged 21, conquered a gruelling 14,000km trek across Asia to cross the finish line first.

The pair outpaced four other teams in the BBC One adventure, clinching the £20,000 prize after an arduous route through China, Nepal, and India.

Their emotionally charged victory saw Caroline determined to demonstrate that she's more than "just mum" and eager to step well beyond her usual boundaries.

Before the series was broadcast, she expressed her desire to challenge age-related stereotypes, stating: "I would like to prove that age doesn't mean you're getting older and slower necessarily, and that you can still have the same opportunities and still grab them.

"I can still go travelling, even though I'm 60 and maybe a grandmother's age, but I'm still capable and can go out with a rucksack, I can keep up. I can do things, I can want to have the adventure just as much."

Caroline also touched upon how the previous year had been particularly tough for her, affecting her self-assurance.

Speaking to Metro, she divulged the hardships that had knocked her confidence, including downsizing her home, losing her horse, and the death of the family dog.

"We'd just downsized [the] house, which I really struggled[with]. I didn't have a horse anymore and we had our dog put down," she said.

"Tom was becoming more independent and I thought, 'I don't know what life is going to offer me now.' Luckily, Race Across The World came at the right time."

After her transformative experience in Asia and being touched by the kindness of strangers in India, she felt inspired to change her life.

She elaborated: "When I came back, I got my horse back again and I started competing. I have a much more positive attitude now. I still spend a lot of time outside with my animals but I'm not as frightened of being lonely."

Following a journey filled with tears that culminated in them being named the fifth Race Across The World champions, an ecstatic Caroline proclaimed: "I'm feeling on top of the world."

She expressed further: "We must never doubt ourselves again. Ever, ever, ever."

Tom described the ordeal as the "best experience of my life," while Caroline regarded it as "a lifetime achievement".

She continued with passion: "It feels absolutely amazing, I'm so sad it's come to the end, that is the worst bit about it.

"We've enjoyed being with everybody but my God this race has meant so much. We've learnt so much we've enjoyed it and to actually win it as well as to have the experience is the best thing that could have happened to us."

Race Across The World is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, with a reunion airing on Wednesday at 9pm.