David Walliams completes Thames swim

David Walliams has completed his 140-mile swim down the Thames, raising £1million for Sport Relief.

He conquered vomiting, diarrhoea and high temperatures to battle the strong currents and complete the swim from the source of the river in Gloucestershire to Big Ben in just eight days.

And he even found time to save a drowning Labrador along the way.

The Little Britain star was met by a shower of tickertape and crowds of well-wishers at the finish line shouting: ‘We love you David’.

In a statement, he said: ‘Most people in the UK know the Thames, and most people think the idea of swimming in it is horrifying! And it is

‘I always knew there was a risk that taking in the water could cause problems, but now it's happened it's still hit me really hard. I was sweating in the night and have been to the toilet a lot.’

He said: ‘It's really not a safe environment to swim in ... I have an incredible team of experts to help keep me safe. If there's a lot of rainfall there'll be a lot of sewage present so I've had to have loads of jab.

This is the third time Walliams has undertaken a marathon swim for charity. In 2006 he swam the Channel, and two years later crossed the Strait of Gibraltar.

This year’s effort, the equivalent of seven Channel swims, raised £1.2million for charity – and he burned 68,000 calories in the process. Click here to make a donation.

Published: 12 Sep 2011