John's jungle vow (From Barry And District News)

John's jungle vow

Barry Town Football Club's larger than life owner John Fashanu is taking 'a rumble in the jungle'

Forty-year-old 'Fash' is going Down Under for the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.

And the famous soccer star has vowed to use the high-profile show to promote both his team, and the town itself.

The ex-Wimbledon player who took over the Dragons last year, sees himself as an ambassador for Barry and hopes his time spent in the Australian outback will really put us on the map.

Speaking to the News before he set off on his adventure, the former Gladiators presenter was very upbeat.

He said: "I am looking forward to the challenge. I'm not allowed to say too much about the series, because I have signed a confidentiality clause with ITV.

"But what I can say is that I'm going to use this experience to promote the football club.

There will be millions of viewers watching I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here and I will do all I can to push the name of Barry Town Football Club."

But John does admit he will miss some home comforts.

These include the football results and knowing what is going on in the outside world.

But he hopes his 16 years of martial arts training and his natural habit of keeping himself fit will help him focus and get through relatively unscathed.

He also has the support of his family - his wife and their three children - and some celebrity chums. Ulrika Jonsson, Dennis Wise and ex-Get Me Out Of Here contestant and best mate Nigel Benn are all rooting for him.

The programme, which is in its second series, starts this Monday on ITV, John Fashanu and the nine other contestants, including Penarth weathergirl Sian Lloyd, will be camped out at the foot of a dormant volcano in Southern Queensland - off limits from civilisation.

It is very likely that the celebrities will encounter some of Australia's most poisonous spiders, including the deadly funnel web.

Contestants will be chosen to performing gruelling tasks for the team, and viewers will be able to vote who comes home and who is pronounced 'King (or Queen) of the Jungle.