TWO childhood friends who enjoyed “the trip of a lifetime” will make their debut on a hit reality TV show tonight.

Becca Wharton, 21, and Jenn Collings, 22, will be climbing aboard the tour bus on Coach Trip: Road to Tenerife. The prime time E4 show pits a succession of duos against their fellow travellers in a bid to win a dream holiday at their destination.

The Barrow pals, both former Chetwynde pupils, will be shown joining the trip in Faro, Portugal, during episode 28 of the 40-day epic adventure.

Seven pairs began the journey began in Britain, but each faced being voted off, and then replaced, as the coach made its way to the Canary Islands.

While they can’t reveal if they did make it to Tenerife, Miss Wharton described the trip as “a once in a lifetime experience”.

The HR associate said: “Jenn saw an advert on Facebook looking for young people to take part in a reality show where you could win a free holiday, so we thought it would be a bit of a laugh.

“Going to the audition at ITV in Manchester was an experience in itself, never mind being picked to be on the show.”

Once the friends were selected, they were told to wait for a call, and be ready to join the trip with only a few day’s notice. They were called up in mid-October, and flew from Gatwick to Portugal just three days later.

Miss Wharton said: “It was crazy! We were both not sure what to expect. We just decided to be ourselves from the second we got there.”

The filming schedule was intense, from 7am to midnight most days, with little time for siting round on the beach and relaxing. The passengers were presented with daily surprise challenges, ranging from paragliding to pottery.

The friends, who have known each other since primary school, have had to keep quiet about most of the things they got up to on the trip at the request of E4. “It’s been strange,” said Miss Wharton. “We’ve had the most incredible experience but we’ve not been able to share it with anyone.

“Our philosophy was to throw ourselves into it. Some of the challenges did push us out of our comfort zone, but we wanted to make the most of it, and we’re adrenaline junkies anyway.”

Events management graduate Miss Collings is now working a ski season as a resort coordinator in Courmayeur, Italy, but is hoping to watch the show tonight in a pizzeria.

Miss Collings said: “Never in a million years did we think we would make it on the show. Iit turned out to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done and introduced myself and Becs to so many new amazing people.

“It has made our friendship the strongest it’s ever been, for the duration of the whole experience we spent every minute of every day with each other which I feel to us is a testament of our friendship!”

At the centre of the fun was host, and real life tour guide, Brendan Sheerin. Miss Wharton said: “Brendan was a big part of our experience. He took the time to get to know everyone, and his attitude of throwing himself into it was infectious.”

Miss Collings added: “The cherry on top for me was meeting Brendan - what a guy! I wish I could have taken him home with me, he is the most knowledgeable and heart warming man I’ve ever met!”

While the school friends’ TV debut will take place on Valentine’s Day, Miss Wharton said neither found romance on the trip. While Miss Collings is single, Miss Wharton already had a boyfriend back in Barrow.

The pair’s families were supportive of their TV appearance, though Miss Wharton said: “Our grandparents did take a bit more persuasion, but mostly our families are used to our wacky ways. They knew we were just going to have some fun.”

Despite having to vote off their fellow contestants on the show, the women have stayed in touch with their cast mates, and have even had a couple of reunions already, with another one planned soon.

Miss Wharton added: “We did genuinely get on with everyone, we didn’t clash. You couldn’t hide away from the voting as it was face to face, but even that was good, as we learnt a lot about ourselves.”

While Coach Trip was their first brush with fame, it may not be their last. Miss Wharton revealed: “Jenn is now talking about getting us on Gogglebox, so we’ll see!”.

Miss Wharton is planning to watch the show with her family at home in Barrow when it airs on E4 at 7.30pm.

Brendan Sheerin shared with The Mail his tips for success at staying on the coach. "First of all, as soon as you get on you must start networking, he said.

"As a couple there are two of you, and two of you have to start immediately working the group. You have to become popular. If you become popular with most of the couples on the coach, it’s very rare that you’ll be voted for because your popularity will see you through. You’ve got to get on with everybody. You’ve got to be very diplomatic. It is like an ambassadorial school! If you toe the line and get on with everybody and don’t upset anybody, you’ll get a long way on the coach."