Tufnell triumphs in reality TV show

Phil Tufnell has won the second series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, the British reality TV show that has been attracting huge audiences for the past two weeks. Tufnell, the favourite for the title after his laid-back approach had won over the British public, was last week described by Mike Soper, the deputy chairman of the ECB as "the best thing that has happened to English cricket".

Tufnell retired from a 17-year career with Middlesex in order to take part in the programme, and beat the former England footballer John Fashanu into second place. "That's unbelievable. I can't believe it," said Tufnell in a eloquent expression of delight. "I'm pleased I've won, but I think everyone's done really well".

Tufnell's final test of endurance came when he was forced to eat live insects to earn the celebrities their final daily meal. He ate a live beetle, a handful of red ants, meal worms and a moth pupa, all washed down with swigs of lager. "That was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do in my life," he said. "That was rank. That was filth."

Tufnell, nicknamed the Cat for his ability to sleep anywhere, admitted he had no strategy for winning the show. It was a claim that his girlfriend Dawn and seasoned Tuffers-watchers could concur. Viewers had seen "the same Phil," said Dawn, "no performing".

A career in cricket is not the most lucrative occupation, but Tufnell can now expect to cash in on his newly-recognised fame.