Biggins: My life

Frank Thorne In Murwillumbah And Kate Mansey, sundaymirror.co.uk 2/12/2007

Christopher Biggins

EXCLUSIVE: MY CELEB LIFE BY CHRISTOPHER BIGGINS

Queen of the Jungle Christopher Biggins held court yesterday to celebrate his I'm A Celebrity triumph... and his new-found status as a national treasure.

He granted the Sunday Mirror an exclusive "royal" audience and, as he held his carved wooden sceptre aloft, he said: "I'm so proud to boast that I am the first I'm A Celebrity Queen to become King of the Jungle."

The loveable star - known to all his friends as Biggins - raised a cup of tea to his fans after scooping the crown on Friday night. Revelling in his new role, he said: "We humbly thank you, Great Britain, from the bottom of our heart. One was moved to tears. One loves you all, my loyal subjects."

Then with his infectious laugh, he added: "I'm told I've been elevated to the status of a national treasure now, which is just so wonderful."

As he savoured his TV triumph, Biggins spoke openly for the first time about his life of incredible highs and gut-wrenching lows.

Relaxing in a suite at the luxurious Palazzo Versace Hotel on Australia's Gold Coast, he talked about the dark days when he was forced to declare himself bankrupt.

He told how he struggled with his sexuality before his first gay encounter at 25... and how he finally came out 24 years later.

He spoke about his two marriages - the first to a woman and then to his current man.

During the good times, he threw lavish champagne parties for showbiz pals including Joan Collins, Shirley Bassey and Cilla Black. But, speaking for the first time about how he hit rock bottom in the early 1990s, bigspender Biggins said: "I was totally skint, but I carried on living like a king.

"I went on expensive holidays to exotic places, rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous and carried on the champagne lifestyle in top restaurants in London.

"It was foolish and reckless. I just wasn't in the real world. I was fooling myself, thinking the day of judgement would never come.

"Believe me, it wasn't very pleasant to have to go round your friends and ask to borrow money."

At his worst point, Biggins - who mingled with the Royal family, Sir Elton John and Mick Jagger - plummeted £50,000 into the red. The star was even arrested for shoplifting a pack of batteries worth £12.76 in 1994 and was hauled into a police station sporting a fluorescent pink tracksuit. Fortunately, no charges were brought.

A year before, he was caught driving over the limit after crashing his BMW and banned for a year.

And Biggins shuddered yesterday as he recalled the day when he was forced to declare himself voluntarily bankrupt. But he said: "I do have the ability to turn around quickly from the hard knocks, dust myself off and get on with it." Biggins' saviour during the bad times was partner Neil Twimaps - a BA air steward, or "trolley dolly", as Biggins calls him.

Moments after he clinched the TV prize on Friday, 9.4million people watched as triumphant Biggins walked across the jungle bridge to meet his man.

Excited Neil could not wait to see Biggins and ran towards him before they shared an emotional embrace in front of the TV cameras.

Biggins said: "Neil is everything to me. In those incredibly difficult times, Neil bought into half my house, which saved the day.

"And I worked my wotsits off and paid off the rest of the debt in a year.

"I was literally on the floor, so the only way was up. Now there is no stopping me. As you have seen from my time in the jungle, I shed a few tears - but you can't keep a good Biggins down!"

Biggins married long-term partner Neil, 46, in a civil ceremony last December, but he was once married to a woman - Australian actress Beatrice Norbury, who he wed in 1971.

Looking back on the marriage that lasted just three-and-a-half years, Biggins now admits: "I suppose I was living a lie. It was just one of those things that you did, I think, in those days. And I think a lot of people do, not quite knowing their sexuality.

"We have remained in touch and are still friends. Beatrice is living in Sydney and is still an actress."

After his divorce from Beatrice in 1974, Biggins only dated men. But it was not until 1998 that he confessed to his parents and the rest of the world he was gay. And he says now that the brave decision improved his life. He said: "I'd known for years that I was gay but getting married was the done thing.

"If my parents had asked me if I was gay I would have said yes. But they are old-fashioned and people their age did not talk about sex."

Born in Oldham in 1948, it was clear panto dame Biggins was destined to be a performer from an early age.

He told yesterday how, as a youngster, he was attracted to the stage and performed his first drag act on a family holiday in Bognor Regis, aged just 10.

He left school with no qualifications, and became a stage hand at Salisbury Playhouse, Wilts. He performed in his first panto there before moving to London's Old Vic.

The actor is best loved for his role as panto dame Widow Twanky and as Lukewarm in prison comedy Porridge. He has also starred in two episodes of ITV drama Bad Girls. Biggins said: "When I was in school, there were three things I wanted to be. One was a vicar, one was an actor and one was a cook. I love cooking, so I've done that.

"But playing the dame is something I love. It's wonderful to have the freedom to come on stage, every entrance in a different costume, making people laugh and having audience participation.

"I went on to play numerous vicars - including the sex-crazed vicar in Poldark, the Reverend Ossie Whitchurch, who was voted the most hated man on TV that year."

He added: "Now playing King of the Jungle for the next year will be a whole new role. King of the Jungle here I come. Is it a bird, is it a plane? No it's SuperBiggins!"

With the support of famous friends like actress Lesley Joseph and Simon Cowell, power-hungry Biggins wants to rule television. He has received a string of lucrative offers during his 20-day stint in the Australian jungle, including West End theatre leads and starring roles in TV dramas.

TV companies are also scrambling to sign him up for his own chat show.

Biggins said: "By Royal decree, I would very much like to have my own series.

"And I would like to think I have shown those in high positions in television and in the industry there is more to Christopher Biggins other than just a pantomime dame.

"I mean a pantomime dame is a very important part of my life. I love it. I adore it. I work very hard. And it's great.

"But in a way, if I'm honest, I wanted to show people by going into the jungle that there is another side to me. I think I have proved that - even if it was by eating kangaroo bollocks!"

Our hero

Chris's pals give their verdicts on HIM...

Marco Pierre White: I think he should be the next James Bond - he'd be brilliant..."The name is James, James Biggins, Queen's Service."

Cilla Black: Biggins is a born leader and a great listener. When I see him, I'll give him a big hug and say: "Well done chuck, I'm so proud of you."

Claire Sweeney: Biggins, Queen of the Jungle. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person. He's a laugh a minute.

Paul O'Grady: If Biggins ended up in a prisoner-of-war camp he'd be the type to keep everyone going. I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do - he's a gung ho, have a go guy.

Helen Worth: I'm overjoyed. Biggins was, as always, loveable, laughing and the best company to be with.

Dale Winton: Finally, this glorious, funny man has got what he deserves.

How I got in shape for my jungle ordeal

Newly-crowned Christopher Biggins yesterday revealed the secret of his jungle success....he starved himself before he joined in I'm A Celebrity.

The Queen of the Jungle told how he cut out booze and food containing sugar as he shed a stone and a half before the show even started. Then the panto dame lost a further two stone during his 20 days in the jungle camp.

He said: "Three months ago I gave up alcohol because I knew they would deliberately starve us to make us ratty and set us at each other's throats.

"There were some days in camp when I wouldn't eat things and I never got any hunger pains. Everyone else was going demented."

Biggins wowed viewers on the final day as he competed the last of his four trials by eating live cockroaches, a witchetty grub that was still wriggling in his mouth, croc feet, a kangaroo penis and then a testicle.

"I thought I was going to throw up on the way back to camp," he said. "I went to the jungle dunny five times after I ate the Bushtucker Banquet. I don't know how I did it and I almost quit on the last one, but I said to myself, 'No, you can do this'."

Reflecting on his jungle experience, Biggins said: "I'm going to take away some very happy memories. And I'm going to take away a calmness. I am always rushing around in London and this experience has taught me to take life more slowly and savour it.

"I won't miss the mud or the rats. There was wet mud everywhere. It was slippy and dangerous."

Biggins said his worst moment was "being in that dungeon all night with Anna surrounded by 200 rats". He added: "The rats peed all over us. It was rank. Anna Ryder-Richardson was terrified."

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