Wife: Ray Rice 'terrified' after hitting me

• Janay Rice says Baltimore Ravens suggested she apologize; she was OK with it


• Ray Rice's wife gave her second interview to "Today," which aired part of it Monday


• "Everybody makes mistakes," she says, defending her husband after February incident


• Earlier this year, video captured Ray Rice hitting then-fiancee, dragging her out of elevator

(CNN) -- Ray Rice is a human who made a mistake that he'd never made before and that he won't make again, wife Janay Rice said in an interview that aired Monday.

"Ray knows me, and there's no way. He knows what he would have to deal with. ... I'm not going to sit there in silence and let something happen to me. And God forbid, in front of my child, just let it happen? There's no way."

It was Janay Rice's second interview since her husband, a former running back for the Baltimore Ravens, viciously knocked her out in a casino elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey, after a night of heavy drinking.

Images from inside the elevator would change the pair's lives, as Ray Rice was indefinitely suspended by the NFL, and Janay Rice became a poster child for domestic violence.

The 1st reporter to interview Janay Rice

Janay Rice discusses elevator fight

Who is Janay Rice?

NFL fumbles to reset the conversation

The most shocking clip shows the 200-pound football player punching his then-fiancee, sending her head into the wall before she collapses unconscious to the floor. Surveillance video shows Ray Rice drag her partially out of the elevator and callously dump her limp body face-first on the ground.

"He said he was just terrified," Janay Rice told the "Today" show in an interview that aired Monday. "He was in such shock that this just happened, he didn't know how to function."

Opening up

Sitting next to her mother, Candy Palmer, and occasionally fending off sniffles and dabbing her eyes with a tissue, Janay Rice said she was angry and hurt by her husband's violence, but it also hurt to see his career pulled out from under him, to lose the "support system" that the Ravens provided and to be forced to "pick up and move."

She attributed Ray Rice's actions that February night, which ended with both of them initially charged with simple assault, on "humanness."

"Everybody makes mistakes. After this whole situation, you would think that we lived in a country full of people who never made a mistake," she said.

In a news conference arranged by the team three months after the incident, Ray Rice apologized for the situation and to the Ravens and the team's fans. Janay Rice then issued a controversial apology herself, saying, "I do deeply regret the role that I played in the incident."

The Ravens tweeted her words and then deleted them after a firestorm of criticism from those who questioned why Janay Rice would need to apologize after taking a left cross from a pro football player who benches 400 pounds.

About that apology

Rice told "Today" she agreed to the press conference -- and to the Ravens' suggestion that she apologize -- because she thought it would help the situation.

She dubbed the press conference "awkward" but defended her decision to apologize: "I didn't think it was completely wrong for me to apologize because at the end of the day, I got arrested, too."

As for the perception that her husband was not conciliatory, Janay Rice refuted the notion, saying he apologized to her "countless" times.

"I wouldn't be sitting there next to him if I wasn't the first person to get an apology," she said.

The Ravens initially defended their player and promised he'd be back. A prosecutor would later drop the charges against Janay Rice and upgrade Ray Rice's charges to aggravated assault. A grand jury indicted him in March. Ray and Janay Rice wed the next day.

In July, after a disciplinary hearing, the NFL announced it would suspend Ray Rice for two games, a decision widely panned as wide receiver Josh Gordon was kept off the field significantly longer after failing a drug test for marijuana. Yet the league stuck by its decision until another surveillance video -- the one that captured the punch -- surfaced September 8.

By the end of the day, the Ravens had released Rice and the NFL made his suspension indefinite.

'I was sick to watch it'

Janay Rice never saw the second tape, saying she was "not going to let the public bring me back there." Her mother saw it, however, and said, "I was sick to watch it."

Ex-fiancée on domestic abuse in NFL

Friends: Janay Rice not one-dimensional

Friend of Ray Rice gives her opinion

#WhyIStayed founder: I was Janay Rice

Still, Janay Rice, who has been critical of the media's coverage of her and her husband, said the hardest part about remaining silent throughout the ordeal was seeing her life play out in the media.

"That's been the hardest part, is having so much of your life made public and have it all be negative. That's the hardest part, is not having control over anything that has to do with you. It's a natural thing for a human to want to come out and say, 'No, no. That's not me,' or 'No, that's not true.' But it's like a battle that we just can't win," she said.

Monday's "Today" interview was the second time Janay Rice has addressed the ordeal, speaking first to ESPN, which granted her control over the final draft and release date of its story. During the interview, she discussed that night in Atlantic City, the aftermath, how she and Ray Rice met as teens and her disappointment in the Ravens for summarily dismissing him after years of loyalty.

Could Ray Rice return?

Last week, an arbitrator found that the NFL abused its discretion by indefinitely suspending Rice when it had originally sat him down for only two games.

The decision cleared Rice to play again, and ESPN reports numerous teams are interested in the Rutgers University standout. Janay Rice concedes that if he is signed, it will be because a team was able to see past the jarring image of domestic violence that has come to define him.

"For them to look past this situation, which I know is going to be hard, but at the end of the day, he's a football player," she said. "He's proven himself as a football player for seven years. There's never been a question of what he can do on the field."

While it remains to be seen, in this era of heightened concern over athletes and domestic violence, when Ray Rice might next take the field, it's abundantly clear that he will never lay another hand on Janay Rice, she and her mother said.

"There is no next time. We've made that clear. There is no next time," Palmer told "Today."

The show will air the second part of its interview with Janay Rice on Tuesday, including a portion of the interview in which her husband participated.

Botswana's all-electric safari

Heading into Chobe National Park at sunrise, a smooth and silent ride on the electric Land Rover.

Guide Lebo behind the wheel of Chobe Game Lodge's first electric game viewing vehicle.

Chobe National Park in Botswana is famous for its huge elephant population, numbering some 120,000 in total.

Lizette Kriel, co-owner of electric vehicle company Freedom Won, peeks under the hood of a Land Rover converted from diesel to electric power.

Connie, a guide at Chobe Game Lodge, behind the wheel of their new electric boat on the Chobe River in Botswana. The lodge has an all-female guiding team.

A herd of several hundred Cape buffaloes, one of Africa's "Big 5" animals, are spotted at Botswana's Chobe National Park.

Sidling up to elephants and a crocodile is easier in the quiet electric powered boats. Noisier diesel engines tend to scare away some of the creatures.

"Fueling up" the Land Rover, now using electric power from the Victoria Falls hydroelectric grid instead of diesel.

Other tourist guides are curious about Chobe Game Lodge's converted electric Land Rover.

Luxury suites at the Chobe Game Lodge have their own private swimming pools.

The only lodge within the national park's boundaries, Chobe Game Lodge is well positioned for a head start on the other tourists.

• Chobe Game Lodge is converting its fleet of Land Rovers to run off electricity


• Electric vehicles are less environmentally harmful and quiet enough to sneak up on animals


• The lodge's guides are all women -- unusual for safaris in Africa

(CNN) -- First light creeps over Chobe National Park as I climb groggily into a Land Rover and head out for an early morning game drive.

On any other African safari you would expect to hear the roar of a diesel engine as the hulking vehicle shudders into gear, breaking the stillness of dawn.

But on this morning, our guide Lebo starts the Landy unnoticed and we glide silently away from the lodge, off to see elephants and lions in an almost zen-like quietness.

I've been to wildlife reserves all over Africa but this, for me, is a first.

An electric safari.

Not only is it kinder to the environment, but -- as I discovered during my stay at Chobe Game Lodge -- a far better way to see wild animals.

In the lodge's converted electric Land Rover, silent and smooth, we hear every bird, every rustle of the bush.

Lebo stops so we can take photos of the brilliant orange sunrise; we then continue quietly along, listening to the alarm calls of baboons and the chatter of guinea fowl descending from their roost.

Such an experience is a rare thing indeed.

Chobe Game Lodge, located inside the national park on Botswana's northern border with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, launched what it describes as the world's first electric safari fleet in late November.

The lodge is rolling out both electric game drive vehicles -- retrofitted Land Rovers -- and electric boats, for game-viewing cruises along the Chobe River.

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Plugged in: Juicing up an electric Land Rover

Huge elephant population

The power supply comes from the hydroelectric grid supplied by southern Africa's mighty Victoria Falls.

Chobe's fleet is being converted to electricity by a South Africa-based firm called Freedom Won. The lodge's general manager hit on the idea after reading an article about the company's work.

Antony English, a Freedom Won co-owner, says electric vehicles are well suited to game viewing, and "just so kind to our environment."

The converted Land Rovers are rugged and perform well on Chobe's sandy trails. The first vehicle put into operation -- our ride for the day -- has been dubbed "Freedom 3."

"Most of you will have been on a game drive, and you would have had to put up with the diesel motor and the noise, and the vibration and smoke," English says.

"Just think about that when you drive Freedom 3, and think about the contrast."

Chobe is special because of the concentration of game along the riverfront, giving visitors the option of both game drives on land and cruises on the water.

The national park is also known for its large elephant population, with upwards of 120,000 elephants in the Chobe area.

The best time to visit is during the May to October dry season, when animals gather near the river.

When the rains come, the herds disperse into the bush. The upside is that there are few tourists, the downside is scant wild animals to be seen.

In front of the Chobe Game Lodge, running above the river, is a long boardwalk punctuated by seating and viewing areas from which visitors can spot grazing hippos, plus warthogs, impalas and all sorts of bird life.

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Trunk call: Chobe National Park is famous for its large elephant population

Liz Taylor's honeymoon suite

It's easy to see why the actress Elizabeth Taylor fell in love with this place, visiting Chobe Game Lodge repeatedly and even marrying Richard Burton -- for the second time -- on the river's edge.

(A tip for Liz Taylor fans: request room 210 to stay in her honeymoon suite, the most private of all rooms, with its own plunge pool and terrace.)

The five-star lodge's decor has been updated since the 1975 wedding, so -- perhaps mercifully -- none of the Taylor-era feel is preserved.

Now there's an airy Zanzibar-inspired design, complete with oversized cushions, wooden frames and vintage lanterns.

Most international visitors to Chobe will arrive at the small Kasane International Airport, 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the lodge, connecting from either Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa, or from Botswana's capital Gaborone. Both are about a two-hour flight away.

Kasane is probably the only airport in Africa to have its own parking bay for electric vehicles -- a new addition, with the lodge intending to use electric Land Rovers for ferrying guests.

Day trips are possible from Chobe to Victoria Falls, on the Zambian-Zimbabwean border, only 90 minutes away.

Jonathan Gibson, CEO of the company that owns Chobe Game Lodge, and a board member for the national park, worries about the growing number of big polluting boats on the Chobe River, and general crowding in the riverfront area.

He and the Chobe board want river traffic restricted to electric boats, with the exception of fishing boats and local ferries, within three years.

"This is the way to go," Gibson says. "It's going to revolutionize what happens on the river here."

On land there are safari vehicle traffic jams, mostly polite though some tourists lose the plot.

I watched as a khaki-clad German visitor screamed at another group of tourists for momentarily blocking his distant view of sleeping lions.

As in most other national parks, vehicles aren't allowed off the tracks at Chobe, in order to protect the natural environment.

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Swim safari: Some suites at the Chobe Game Lodge have private pools

Sounds of silence

As the only lodge within the national park's boundaries, Chobe Game Lodge is well positioned. Morning drives and afternoon cruises generally start a half-hour early to get a head start on the other tourists.

All of the guides are women, highly unusual at game lodges across Africa.

The lodge also offers a more unusual tour. Albert Ndereki, 62, a longtime employee, leads an eco-tour that takes guests behind the scenes, into the kitchen, laundry room and other places a tourist would never normally visit.

Ndereki proudly explains the process of recycling glass bottles into cement bricks used for building, reusing gray water for the garden, and shows off the interesting (though rather smelly) bio gas plant, in which food waste is converted into methane gas used for cooking.

"This is our park," Ndereki tells us. "We have to look after it."

On a late-afternoon river cruise, we experience the sounds of silence again. As our electric boat turns a bend, we spot a herd of elephants tentatively coming down to the river for a drink of water.

An African fish eagle sits motionless as we glide by.

A crocodile basking on the shore's edge doesn't move either, until a grumpy elephant decides to chase it away.

We sit watching and listening to the elephants as dusk settles over the Chobe River.

But the next morning is a rude awakening: back to a bumpy old diesel-fueled Land Rover for our final game drive through the park.

The lodge's fleet is still being converted to electric and it is a slow process, though the plan is to have a total of 13 game drive vehicles and six boats.

Our guide catches sight of a Jacobin Cuckoo and we pull up to get a better look, our diesel motor roaring.

The bird flees.

My seatmate puts down his camera, grumbling: "It would still be there if we were in the electric vehicle."

Chobe Game Lodge , Serondela, Botswana; +267 625 0340

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Erin Conway-Smith is a journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A senior correspondent for GlobalPost, she also writes regularly for The Economist and The Telegraph.

How to drink the world's best whisky

• Last month a Japanese whisky was named the best in the world


• The Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 topped Jim Murray's "Whisky Bible"


• Japan has only three distilleries compared to over 100 in Scotland

Editor's note: CNN's On the Road series brings you a greater insight into the customs and culture of countries across the world. Until mid-December CNN International explores the places, people and passions unique to Japan. Read CNN's special reports policy.

(CNN) -- The first thing you notice is the smell: rich, deep, and mysterious. And somehow, both fresh and musty at the same time. It's a scent that immediately piques your curiosity.

CNN's On the Road Japan team visited Japan's oldest whisky distillery just outside Kyoto to learn more about a spirit that's just been named the best in the world.

Just a few weeks ago, the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, made by beverage giant Suntory, took home top honors in Jim Murray's "Whisky Bible". The whisky guru referred to it as "near indescribable genius." Scotch didn't even make the top three.

While Japanese whisky has been taking home awards for over a decade, this was a first. And standing in the cellar piled high with oak casks, some American, some Spanish, and some Japanese, you get the sense that its rise around the globe has only just begun.

Don't call it Scotch

Suntory's Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo is responsible for every bottle of whisky -- don't call it Scotch, he says -- that leaves the 90-year-old distillery.

While the Scotland-trained Fukuyo is modest about taking home the top title, he is clearly proud of what Japanese whisky has achieved. The secret, he says, is not boldness, but balance.

Japan has only two malt distilleries, one grain distillery, which is why we have to make different types of whisky even in one distillery. It's our challenge.

Shinji Fukuyo, Suntory's Chief Blender

Perhaps it's the purity of the water, which Fukuyo says makes a gentle spirit. Or maybe it's because the whisky is exposed to Japan's dry, cold winters and hot, humid summers as it matures inside those casks. Or maybe it's about the blending.

"The Scotch industry has more than 100 distilleries there, so blenders can choose from each distillery," Fukuyo points out. "But we have only two malt distilleries, one grain distillery. That's why we have to make different types of whisky even in one distillery. It's our challenge."

MORE: 11 extremely practical Japan travel tips

Creating a perfect blend

Suntory's master blender won't show us the secret behind his craft, but when we ask him how he maintains the quality he gives us a glimpse into the science.

Formulas of the most popular labels can change up to two dozen times a year, Fukuyo says, because no two casks are exactly the same. Change one ingredient in the blend and that precious balance is no more.

It's a challenge that seems even more daunting when we learn some products use 15 or 20 different types of whisky. Even single malt contains whisky from about ten casks, he says, although all from a single distillery to qualify for the single-malt moniker.

A matter of taste

From blending, we're on to tasting. If you like your whisky neat, well, here's the first big surprise with Japanese whisky: add water. Even if it's just a dash.

Fukuyo says adding water is a must in order to release the aromas and savor the full flavors. That's because most Japanese enjoy drinking whisky with a meal, sometimes on the rocks, sometimes in a highball glass with soda.

So once in the glass, the whisky has to hold its character and flavor, even while the proof begins to drop. Fukuyo confesses he drinks it straight, but definitely not without a drop or two of water to open it up.

Compared with Scotch, Japanese whisky does not lose the taste and flavor when you mix it with other drinks.

Takayuki Suzuki, cocktail designer, Park Hotel Tokyo

As for that best-in-the-world whisky? You can't get it in Japan, Fukuyo says. Only 18,000 bottles were made, and they were all exported.

Whisky culture

While Japanese whisky is making headlines, whisky culture in the country is distinctly low-key. Many whisky bars are small with only a dozen or so seats and a solitary bartender.

Takayuki Suzuki, the cocktail designer at the Park Hotel Tokyo, gives us a first-hand look at Japanese whisky bar-tending skills. Suzuki's nickname is "Mr. Ice Man," and we soon learn why when he sets to work transforming a rough, softball-sized block of ice into a smooth sphere.

Fragments fly in every direction as Suzuki chips away, before he spins his handiwork into a lowball glass, pours single malt whisky over the top and then carefully lifts the cube twice with a spoon to release the aromas.

"Japanese whisky has a good balance," Suzuki says. "Compared with Scotch whisky, it does not lose the taste and flavor when you mix it with other drinks. It is easy to use as a cocktail base."

So we ask for an Old Fashioned. And he just looks at us. A different bartender might raise an eyebrow, but Suzuki is far too polite.

Which Japanese whisky would be best for that, we ask. The answer, it turns out, is none. According to Suzuki, mixing the spirits with anything but ice, water or soda, would ruin its purity and balance. But he says of course he'll make one if the customer really wants it.

We've learned our lesson. Another 12-year Yamazaki on the "rock," please. It's time to relax and enjoy.

MORE: The rival empires of Japanese whiskey

CNN's Paula Newton & Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.

CNN's On the Road series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy.

World's 'most excellent' airline is...

British Airways makes number 10 on AirlineRatings.com's 2015 best airline list. Earlier this year, UK flag carrier made headlines for trialing a

Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) makes the number nine slot on the best airlines list.

Lufthansa, at number eight, offers limitless internet on 90% of its long-haul flights.

At seven, Taiwan's EVA Air was also named for excellence in long haul travel. The airline's Hello Kitty themed planes include pillows, toiletries and food featuring the Sanrio cartoon.

Singapore Airlines lands at sixth place in AirlineRating.com's top 10. The airline's business class features an inclined-flat seat (with a gentle 8-degree incline) and a fixed back shell that offers enhanced privacy.

Emirates hits the number five position. It also wins the Best In-Flight Entertainment award for a system that allows passengers to play a range of games and access more than 1,800 channels of movies, music hits and TV shows.

At number four, Qantas also scoops awards for Best Domestic Service, Best Catering and Best Lounges. AirlineRatings also gave it a special commendation for its safety record.

Cathay Pacific makes the number three position in the best airline list. It is also named Best Business Class.

In second place in the best airlines list, Etihad also wins the Best First Class award for a service that features a luxury changing room, personal wardrobe and private suite. Etihad also wins the Excellence in Long Haul Travel award.

Air New Zealand ranks the top on AirlineRating's 2015 "airline excellence" chart for its reputation as a "trendsetter." This is the second year in a row the airline has scooped the Airline of the Year prize.

• AirlineRating.com named Air New Zealand the world's best airline for its in-flight innovations


• Best First Class award goes to Etihad, which has a luxury changing room


• Qantas was honored for Best Domestic Service, Best Catering and Best Lounge

(CNN) -- Hobbits might not need the extra legroom, but they know a good airline when they see one.

Air New Zealand, the carrier that has regularly pressed the diminutive denizens of Middle Earth into service in its advertising campaigns, has been named the world's best airline.

Australia-based safety assessment website AirlineRatings.com says the airline came top of its 2015 "airline excellence" chart because of its reputation as a "trendsetter."

It also led the website's top 10 airlines for 2015.

This is the second year in a row the airline has scooped the Airline of the Year prize.

AirlineRatings said Air New Zealand had been honored for "its award winning in-flight innovations, record financial performance, operational safety and motivation of its staff."

The 75-year-old airline was also praised for its "commitment to a young, technologically-advanced fleet and its continual focus on the environment."

It was also presented with AirlineRatings' Best Premium Economy Class award.

"Quite simply Air New Zealand is an airline of first choice. And given the airline's location and the country's size its performance is even more remarkable," Geoffrey Thomas, the agency's chief editor, said.

MORE: And the safest airline is...

Outstanding efforts

Air New Zealand's chief executive officer, Christopher Luxon, said the award recognized the "outstanding efforts" of his airline's 11,000 staff.

Multiple prizes were also doled out for down-under flyer Qantas -- honored for Best Domestic Service, Best Catering and Best Lounges, with a special commendation for its safety record.

Etihad Airways scooped Best First Class, Cathay Pacific took the Best Business Class prize, Thai Airways got Best Economy Class, while Best In-Flight Entertainment went to Emirates.

Virgin Australia won the Best Cabin Crew prize for its outstanding staff.

Prizes in the "low cost airline sector" were given to U.S. carrier JetBlue, Norwegian in Europe and Kulula.com and Scoot in Asia.

Lan Chile, Etihad and EVA Air were named for excellence in long haul travel.

As yet, there are no awards for airlines flying to Middle Earth.

AirlineRatings.com's top 10 airlines for 2015

1. Air New Zealand;

2. Etihad

3. Cathay Pacific

4. Qantas

5. Emirates

6. Singapore Airlines

7. EVA Air

8. Lufthansa

9. All Nippon Airways

10. British Airways

Drone shows what's left of Chernobyl

• Filmmaker uses drone camera to capture remains of Chernobyl and nearby city of Pripyat


• Danny Cooke visited the area for work on "60 Minutes"


• The visit changed his "perspective of life," Cooke said

(CNN) -- Time has effectively stood still in the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, which was evacuated in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

At the time of the disaster during the Soviet era, about 49,000 people lived in Pripyat, located less than two miles from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They left behind schools, homes, factories, parks and gyms that have remained largely undisturbed for the past 30 years.

Laborers work on construction of the Soviet Union's Chernobyl nuclear power plant on July 1, 1975. The Chernobyl accident is the world's worst nuclear accident. The disaster sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over hundreds of thousands of square miles of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The radioactive effects of the explosion were about 400 times more potent than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.

The station came on-line in 1977, two years before this photo, and contained four reactors, each capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electrical power.

Reactor number four exploded on April 26, 1986, releasing large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. More than 100,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

People are scanned for radioactivity before evacuating the Ukraine in this undated photo.

Three days after the explosion, on April 29, 1986, cranes are seen at the power plant. The disaster initially killed 32 people, but according to the United Nations, the explosion and fire that occurred affected, directly or indirectly, 9 million people because of the radioactive materials released into the atmosphere.

In Finland, milk is tested by authorities for aftereffects of the radiation on April 30, 1986.

West German Customs officials closely screen goods, cars and people coming in from Eastern Europe on May 5, 1986. Radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear plant threatened to contaminate crops.

A farmer in Sweden wears anti-atomic clothes as he sifts hay possibly contaminated by the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl in June 1986.

Construction crews build a containment wall around the damaged unit four reactor in August 1986.

Control panels of the destroyed fourth power block on April 14, 1998.

Twenty-seven years after the nuclear disaster, engineers work on April 26, 2013, to construct a colossal arch-shaped structure to permanently cover the exploded reactor.

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

After the Chernobyl disaster

Armed with a camera and a dosimeter Geiger counter, cinematographer Danny Cooke explored the remains of Pripyat and Chernobyl. He pieced the footage together in a three-minute video that boasts drone footage of sweeping shots of abandoned buildings and parks. He also photographed building interiors on foot, capturing haunting scenes of empty schools and homes.

Cooke visited Pripyat and Chernobyl in June while working for CBS News on a "60 Minutes" episode. He created the video to showcase his camerawork from the shoot for his portfolio.

Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

It was his first time there, though he has memories of Chernobyl's effect on his family living in Italy at the time.

"The nuclear dust clouds swept westward towards us. The Italian police went round and threw away all the local produce and my mother rushed out to purchase as much tinned milk as possible to feed me, her infant son," he said. "It caused so much distress hundreds of miles away, so I can't imagine how terrifying it would have been for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to evacuate."

The visit was a life-changing experience, he said.

"It's very hard to explain, however, I feel different from when I set foot into the zone to when I left. My perspective of life changed slightly," he said in an email to CNN.

"On approaching the zone, I was aware that radiation is an invisible sensation but regardless my body reacted in a psychological way. My brain was telling me that perhaps I'd made the wrong choice and this wasn't such a good idea," he said.

"It was too late to go back now, but I'll never regret ever entering the zone. The sight of the school canteen floor in Pripyat will be something I will never forget in my lifetime. What the evacuees must have gone through is unthinkable."

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