Joe's king of the jungle

After two weeks of trials and tribulations in a rat-infested I'm A Celebrity camp, comedian Joe Pasquale was last night crowned King of the Jungle.

The squeaky-voiced 43-year-old looked delighted and hugged and kissed the former evictees who had gathered in the camp to hear the winner announced.

Having seen nightclub owner Fran Cosgrove the first out of the final three to leave, it came down to the wire between Pasquale and ex royal butler Paul Burrell.

Pasquale drank champagne and sat on the winner's throne before receiving his crown from It-girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.

'Oh, it was an experience,' he told Ant and Dec after emerging from the camp. But there were no tears for the comedian who had been the bookies' favourite to win. Burrell, on the other hand, was streaming. Having bonded with Pasquale from the start, he cried as he told the ITV presenters of their friendship.

He said: 'A nicer guy couldn't have won. Joe is the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet and he's my friend too. I'm proud to be his friend.'

He went on to say that coming second had restored his faith in the British public. 'It was beyond my wildest dreams,' said an emotional Burrell.

'I never thought. Thank you the public. Thank you everyone for voting.'

Pasquale's most memorable moments include climbing down a rope ladder hanging from a helicopter 200ft above the sea in what was the most expensive Bushtucker trial.

He also made viewers laugh when he had a bath with Three Degrees star Sheila Ferguson, and told her: 'I'm comfortable with anything, love, but you don't want to see my Jacobs hanging out.'

Earlier, nightclub owner Fran Cosgrove said he was not surprised when told he was the seventh celebrity to leave the camp.

'It's the best thing I've ever, ever done,' he said - adding that he never thought he would last 17 days on the show.