Walliams completes swim to Africa

The pair swam across the Strait of Gibraltar

James Cracknell and David Walliams have completed their "swim to Africa" to raise money for the BBC's Sport Relief.

The duo completed the 12-mile swim across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in just over four-and-a-half hours.

Walliams was sick in the water and the pair saw dolphins and whales.

The swim was the last leg of Cracknell's 10-day trip from the UK to Africa in which he rowed the Channel and cycled through France and Spain.

Walliams helps Cracknell prepare for Sport Relief

Walliams famously swam the English Channel and raised £1m for Sport Relief in 2006.

Fewer than 10% of people who have attempted to swim the Channel have succeeded but Walliams told BBC News 24 that this challenge was more difficult.

"Swimming and throwing up... it shouldn't really go together," he said.

"It was really tough."

In preparation for their swim, the pair filled up on a carbohydrate-heavy dinner of baked potato and chicken, washed down with tonic water.

The stretch of water they swam across is a major shipping lane.

Cracknell's adventure started from Dover on Wednesday 27 February when he rowed across the English Channel in atrocious weather conditions in just over six hours.

He then jumped straight into the saddle and began his epic 1,400 mile cycle from northern France to southern Spain.

He cycled into Tarifa, after completing the second leg of his Herculean Sport Relief challenge in only eight days, before having a day off ahead Friday's swim.