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COLD SHOULDER

I’m leaving my husband at home months after our wedding to work in world’s most remote gift shop in Antarctica

A NEW bride plans on leaving her husband at home for five MONTHS to run the world's most remote gift shop.

Natalie Corbett, 31, is now jetting off on a "solo honeymoon" to run the gift shop in Port Lockroy, Antarctica - just five months after her wedding.

Natalie will jet off on a 'solo honeymoon' more than 8,000 miles away
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Natalie will jet off on a 'solo honeymoon' more than 8,000 miles away
She'll be running the gift shop in Port Lockroy, Antarctica
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She'll be running the gift shop in Port Lockroy, AntarcticaCredit: PA
The post office sits on the Antarctic Peninsula close to the South Pole
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The post office sits on the Antarctic Peninsula close to the South Pole

Natalie be one of the all-female team running the small port town 8,700 miles from her Hampshire home.

The town sits on the 1.7 acre Gloudier Island near the South Pole

The small island attracts 15,000 visitors a year - and is home to a colony of gentoo penguins, which the women will monitor.

Natalie beat out 6,000 other applicants for a place on the team and admits she never expected to get the job.

She told the : "My husband was very supportive when I told him I was applying.

"But, like me, he was thinking you can apply but you're not going to get the job. I think now he's panicking a bit.

"Who wouldn't want to spend five months working on an island filled with penguins in one of the most remote places on the planet?

"I'm treating this like my solo honeymoon."

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Natalie will be joined by Clare Ballantyne, Mairi Hilton and Lucy Bruzzone.

Lucy will lead the team, while Port Lockroy veteran Vicky Inglis, who will be General Assistant and Wildlife Monitor, will help them settle in.

Clare will be the postmaster, while Mairi will monitor the penguins and Natalie will run the island's gift shop.

They face five months with no running water or flushing toilet along with freezing temperatures and near-constant daylight.

The roles were advertised by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust to look after the charity's flagship site.

Training for the trip included lessons in remote first aid and a talk from a penguin expert.

Vicky said: "Port Lockroy holds a very special place in my heart.

"Having spent five months out there before the Covid-19 pandemic, I'm excited to be travelling with the new team to introduce them to the magic of the Antarctic."

The new team, from left: Clare Ballantyne, Natalie Corbett, Mairi Hilton, Lucy Bruzzone
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The new team, from left: Clare Ballantyne, Natalie Corbett, Mairi Hilton, Lucy Bruzzone
They will also monitor the penguin colony that calls the island home
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They will also monitor the penguin colony that calls the island homeCredit: PA
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