Little Britain star swims Channel for charity

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) David Walliams, star of hit television comedy ''Little Britain'', swam the English Channel today in a bid to raise half a million pounds for charity.

Walliams spent 10 hours and 34 minutes in cold water to complete the swim in aid of Sport Relief.

''David completed the challenge in just over 10-and-a-half hours,'' said Sport Relief spokeswoman Lucy McGill.

''We are not sure about the exact location where he arrived in France because of the tides and currents. All we know is that it was in a 30-mile stretch of coastline.'' ''He got straight back on the boat, and is now heading back to Dover.'' Walliams started the 21-mile swim from Britain to France at 530 hrs, covered in a thick layer of grease to protect his skin from the cold water.

Walliams, who had given himself a 50-50 per cent chance of completing the challenge, trained rigorously over the past 11 months, swimming in pools, lakes and the sea under the guidance of former Olympic pentathlete Greg Whyte.

Less than 10 per cent of people who have tried to swim the Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and frequently hit by gale force winds, have succeeded.

REUTERS SHB KP2240