Julia said the snorkelling festival in mid Wales “saved my life”.

She was laid up in hospital unable to walk, aged 25, with a back problem and sciatica down both legs, needing a walking frame to get around and taking 16 tablets a day to ease her pain.

“My life wasn’t really worth living and I was going have surgery on my back but doctors said I was on too many tablets to operate,” Julia recalled.

"A friend of mine gave me the Guinness Book of Records and I saw this guy coming out of a bog in Wales.

“I live in a bog in Ireland and I was always warned against the dangers of a bog - so that picture opened my eyes and I wanted to do it.”

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Julia’s inspiration came from the mud of mid Wales where the “whacky” showpiece had become a bucket list event for alternative thrill-seekers.

“I’d never swum before but I needed to swim to help my recovery and competing in Wales was my goal for getting better and I’ve not looked back since - it changed my life,” said the supply teacher from the Republic of Ireland.

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Julia now snorkels around the world but feels Llanwrtyd Wells - where six world records have been broken, including Rutter’s current 1 minute and 18.81 second time from 2018 - is to bog snorkelling what Wimbledon is to tennis.

“If it wasn’t for Wales I wouldn’t be alive,” she said, holding back tears.

“When I come here it feels like I’m home, it has a special place in my heart. Wales is the mecca of bog snorkelling.”