Carol Thatcher named jungle queen

Thatcher's career includes writing a book on her late father Denis Listen to Carol

The daughter of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher has won the fifth series of ITV1's reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Journalist Carol Thatcher, 52, beat ex-Emmerdale actress Sheree Murphy, who came second, and former EastEnders star Sid Owen, in Monday's final.

She said she was "amazed, astonished and gobsmacked to the power of 100".

She survived 16 days in an Australian jungle camp, "bushtucker trials" and a series of public votes to win.

Thatcher had started life in the jungle as an outsider with the bookies, but quickly emerged as a favourite to win the "queen" or "king of the jungle" crown.

Owen had been odds-on to win before the show started broadcasting.

"I think I coped with life in the jungle. I used to live in Australia and I thoroughly enjoyed it," Thatcher told the show's presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly.

Ex-Emmerdale star Sheree Murphy came second

"I was very lucky with my fellow celebs and we were a very harmonious group. We all enjoyed it."

She said she had left Baroness Thatcher's phone number at home, so it was unlikely her mother would know about her win.

"She doesn't know I'm here so she won't notice. I'm more interested in switching on the news," she said.

The trials were a challenge - eating the kangaroo testicle was a bit squelchy and horrid Carol Thatcher

Thatcher added that dealing with jungle creatures in her "bushtucker trials", some of which involved eating insects, had been a challenge, and said: "I thought the snakes all took a bit of 'get on with it'."

She said that part of the reason she found being on the show so "life-enhancing" was due to her "fellow campers".

Previous series has seen some contestants rowing, but she said they "replaced acrimonious bickering with amusing banter".

Sid Owen played Ricky in BBC soap EastEnders

Singer Jimmy Osmond had been the last contestant to leave before Monday's final.

Other contestants on the show included wine taster Jilly Goolden, antiques expert David Dickinson and former Atomic Kitten singer Jenny Frost.

The previous winners were DJ Tony Blackburn, retired cricketer Phil Tufnell, former singer Kerry Katona and comedian Joe Pasquale.