A mum-of-two is set to swap working at a nursery school in West Oxfordshire to taking on one of TV’s toughest challenges tonight.

Sarah Steel is starring in one of Britain’s most arduous game shows The Krypton Factor, which has just been relaunched by ITV after a successful run in the 1980s.

The show was pre-recorded but 39-year-old Sarah, a former Army captain, is not saying how she fared after undertaking a series of demanding tests of mental agility, physical strength and general knowledge.

Viewers will get a chance to see how she gets on against three men on the show when it airs tonight at 7.30pm on ITV1.

She said: “I haven’t done an assault course for 10 years, so it was pretty hard work, climbing a 40 feet tree, scaling zip wires and getting pretty muddy.

“It was so cold and windy in the North Yorkshire woods where the show is based.

“I have to say I was relieved when it was all over, but I was pleased with how I performed.”

Ms Steel is managing director of 13 nurseries across England and was yesterday at The Old Station Nursery at Filkins, West Oxfordshire.

It was a different kind of assault course as she helped staff change nappies and take the youngsters out into the cold playground to gather a thin smattering of snow for a snowman.

“The Krypton Factor is being sponsored by business software company Sage who we use and I received an email from them saying the show was looking for contestants,” she said.

“I remember the programme from my childhood when it was on the first time around and thought it sounded quite fun, so filled in the application form, and thought nothing more of it.

“I was really surprised when they phoned me up for an audition.”

Ms Steel spent seven years in the Army’s Royal Logistic Corps, reaching the rank of captain before leaving to have a family and pursue a new career.

She is now married and lives near Lechlade on the west Oxfordshire border.

As well as The Old Station Nursery, she also helps out at Faringdon Pre-School.

The Krypton Factor is hosted by Ben Shepard, and in tonight’s episode Sarah lines up against Neil Brace, 29, a retail business manager from Dunstable, David Langer, 23, an Internet entrepreneur living in Luxembourg, and Ronal Stewart, 26, a self-employed maths teacher from London.

Winners and highest scoring runners-up go through to the semi-finals.

witney@oxfordmail.co.uk