{"id":12196,"date":"2023-11-21T14:16:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T08:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/phil-tufnell-exclusive-my-boozy-high-jinks-almost-put-me-in-a-spin-celebrity-news-showbiz-tv\/"},"modified":"2023-11-21T14:16:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T08:46:54","slug":"phil-tufnell-exclusive-my-boozy-high-jinks-almost-put-me-in-a-spin-celebrity-news-showbiz-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/phil-tufnell-exclusive-my-boozy-high-jinks-almost-put-me-in-a-spin-celebrity-news-showbiz-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"Phil Tufnell Exclusive: ‘My boozy high-jinks almost put me in a spin’ | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Phil<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n

Phil with England in 1993 (Image: Getty)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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One night on Jersey in 2004, a grand piano in Phil Tufnell\u2019s hotel trundled along a corridor and plunged down a flight of stairs. It made a noise so loud it could possibly have been heard on neighbouring Channel Islands.<\/p>\n

Phil had been filming the short-lived It\u2019s a Knockout-style ITV gameshow, Simply the Best. There had already been a lot of high jinks after each show, with people from the production sliding down bannisters and running around the hotel in their underpants.<\/p>\n

And the ex-England cricketer and recently crowned winner of I\u2019m a Celebrity \u2013 which has just returned for its 23rd series \u2013 had certainly enjoyed the bonhomie too.<\/p>\n

But the piano incident was rather more serious and Phil spent the rest of his time in Jersey hiding from the hotel management who had, for some reason, identified him as a prime suspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t entirely remember what happened with the piano, but I don\u2019t think it was anything to do with me,\u201d he claims now, his customary chuckle in his voice. \u201cNothing was ever proved. I think maybe the brakes came off the piano by mistake and there was a slight tilt in the corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This wasn\u2019t the first time Phil had found himself in an odd situation while away from home, and it definitely wasn\u2019t the last. In his new book, The Tourist, he describes a life of frequent trips abroad, from 11 years on the road with England to the South African wilderness in I\u2019m a Celebrity. It\u2019s been marked by fun, occasional chaos and \u00adfrequent alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n

Phil, 57, originally from north London, got a first taste of overseas adventure as a young boy on family trips to Benidorm. He loved the colour and warmth, and the sense of freedom of running on sandy beaches. \u201cI\u2019ve still got a \u00adpicture of me, with blond hair, a lemon short-sleeve shirt, and long white socks on the steps of our hotel, standing there with my mum and brother,\u201d he says, talking to me from his home in Surrey, in between watching India versus Pakistan on TV in \u00ad\u00ad the Cricket World Cup. \u201cIt makes me quite emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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READ MORE: <\/strong> Cricket World Cup final interrupted as security chase pro-Palestine protestor <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Phil<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n

King of the Jungle: Phil celebrates I\u2019m a Celebrity win in 2003 (Image: ITV)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Phil added a more dramatic edge to his Spanish memories when he went to Benidorm with some mates, aged 16. They got into a scuffle with some other lads on the first night, were thrown out of their hotel and ended up sleeping on the beach.<\/p>\n

But the travel bug had well and truly bitten.<\/p>\n

By his late teens, Phil had been signed by Middlesex County Cricket Club and was picked for an England U19 trip to Barbados. Determined, almost above any cricket ambitions, to get a good tan, Phil and some of his teammates went to the beach, rejecting any instructions about wearing hats or sun cream. They ended up with severe sunstroke and received medical care for several days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried very hard to be professional and concentrate on our cricket during the visit but a few things kept getting in the way \u2013 the sun, the sea and the rum,\u201d Phil recalls. Fortunately, his love of a good time was matched by his spin-bowling ability and he was called up to the full England team, completing several tours during the Nineties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIndia was absolutely mind-blowing for a young man,\u201d says Phil. \u201cAs soon as the hotel lift opened each morning, you\u2019d be hit by this huge noise that would \u00adfollow you all the way into the \u00adstadium. Everything from fans shouting to cars, motorbikes and street sellers. You\u2019d get back to the hotel, in the evening, close your bedroom door and go \u2018Jesus!\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was constant mickey-taking, some quite near the bone, during the Australian Ashes series. When we arrived at our hotel, for one tour, the doorman said, \u2018Welcome Mr Tufnell.\u2019 Then, as I walked by, he added, \u2018You\u2019re gonna get your bloody arses kicked. [Australian fast bowler] Glenn McGrath is gonna knock your bloody head off.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    \"Phil<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n

    Phil for The Jump in 2016 (Image: Channel 4 )<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    Even the team\u2019s coach driver in the Caribbean made jokes. \u201cEvery morning \u00ad he\u2019d say \u2018Lara will get you, today. Curtly\u2019s coming for you!\u2019\u201d Phil remembers. \u201cThis was on the bloody England bus on the way to the ground! But it was all enjoyable, in a funny sort of way. I embraced it a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Phil admits he can\u2019t recall a single evening in stayed in his hotel room while on tour. \u201cYou can\u2019t just have room service and \u00ad
    watch television until 9.30pm every night,\u201d he argues. He once found himself drunkenly performing \u201c(I Can\u2019t Get No) Satisfaction\u201d by the Rolling Stones while dancing with a mannequin in a smart Melbourne restaurant. It was very embarrassing, but Phil feels it may have endeared him to senior England players such as Ian Botham and David Gower, as they started inviting him on \u00ad
    the tours of high-class vineyards they \u00adfrequented on days off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Gower was one of several entertaining and occasionally ill-disciplined England characters. \u201cHe and John Morris sneaked off during a warm-up match and, famously, dive-bombed the ground in two Tiger Moth planes,\u201d Phil says. \u201cThey got fined, but, crikey, could you see England players doing that now?\u201d The current national team, under captain Ben Stokes, do still celebrate a win \u201cproperly\u201d, says Phil. But their busy schedules, with numerous internationals and T20 competitions around the world, means things aren\u2019t quite as relaxed as the 1990s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    \"Phil<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\n

    Phil now enjoys trips abroad with wife Dawn (Image: Getty)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    In 2002, Phil retired from cricket and, almost immediately, was cast in the 2003 series of I\u2019m a Celebrity. \u201cThey said, \u2018Do you fancy going back to Australia and doing this show? I said, \u2018Are we going first class?\u2019 They said, \u2018Yes.\u2019 So I said, \u2018I\u2019m in!\u2019 Cricket had gone and I was looking for something else to get excited about. I was very fortunate to immediately be back on tour.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever seen an episode, but you just throw yourselves into these things. Off we went into the jungle in \u00adhelicopters. It was mind-blowing.<\/p>\n

    \u201cMy mum used to say, keep a smile on your face for as long as you can, because there\u2019s going to be plenty of times when it\u2019s wiped off a bit.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat\u2019s made me want to always embrace opportunities. I even quite liked trying all the eyeballs and testicles. One of the low points, though, was getting bitten on my nether regions. It was excruciating. I told Dr Bob, \u2018Take away the pain, but not the swelling.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Following I\u2019m a Celebrity, Phil became a popular TV personality, alongside his work as a cricket summariser for the likes of Test Match Special. But some of his overseas television adventures since have been well outside of his comfort zone.<\/p>\n

    His fellow celebrities suffered several injuries, including a dislocated shoulder and a broken ankle in the Austrian mountains, during the winter sports reality show The Jump in 2016. For someone who\u2019d barely skied \u201cand was completely out of control of their limbs\u201d, it was hairy. These days, he\u2019s pleased to say, he can ski quite well.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe scariest thing I did was during a New Zealand travelogue called This Could Go Anywhere, with Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand player and current England coach,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI had to do the biggest \u00adbungee jump in the southern hemisphere or something. I was absolutely petrified \u2013 throwing up and everything. I think the bloke actually pushed me off, and \u00adI fainted on the way down. Everything in my body was screaming \u2018What the hell are you bloody doing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But Phil has also experienced terrific luxury on his travels. \u201cDuring an England tour of the West Indies, we were invited on to Sir Paul Getty\u2019s yacht.<\/p>\n

    It was like something out of Death on the Nile. All wood and funnels and everything. A bit sensational. The steward said \u2018Ah, Mr Tufnell. Would you like a drink?\u2019 I said, \u2018I like the look of that champagne, there. But I hope you\u2019ve got a few bottles because the boys are on a couple of days off!\u2019 \u201c\u2018Would you like to follow me, Mr Tufnell?\u2019 he replied.<\/p>\n

    \u201cHe took me down about 16 beautiful floors, opened the door of this storage unit and there must have been 10,000 bottles of Don P\u00e9rignon, in there.<\/p>\n

    \u201c\u2018I don\u2019t even think you, Mr Tufnell, could get through all that!\u2019 he said. He was right, but we gave it a bit of a go.\u201d<\/p>\n

    This year, Phil had another I\u2019m a Celebrity adventure in the South African \u201clegends\u201d spin-off show featuring former contestants. By now in his late fifties, Phil found trying to sleep properly in a \u00adhammock and the weird night-time shrieks from the surrounding wildlife to be his most challenging aspects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But he has no intention of curtailing his life as a tourist. Dawn, his wife of almost 20 years, reins him in slightly. \u201cSometimes she says, \u2018OK, that\u2019s enough now. You\u2019re sodding about.\u2019\u201d She loves to travel, too \u2013 if not quite as much as Phil. They\u2019ve been everywhere from Egypt to Majorca, New York and Rome.<\/p>\n

    New Zealand was Phil\u2019s favourite destination. \u201cEvery corner we turned, I was getting out of the car, saying, \u2018Have a look at that!\u2019 The landscapes! Every glass of wine I \u00ad had was beautiful. Every lamb chop \u00adwas amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Phil hasn\u2019t visited Indonesia much, so that\u2019s now on his bucket list. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind following old Rick Stein,\u201d he adds. \u201cTaking a barge down the Canal du Midi \u00ad [as the chef does in his French Odyssey series] and stopping off for a bit of wine \u00adand cheese. I love England and I love coming home,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBut I can remember my dad, when we were in Benidorm, saying, \u2018Oh, blimey, being here is a privilege.\u2019<\/p>\n

    \u201cHe was right. Getting the chance \u00adto go out there and see what the world has to offer has been an enormous privilege. I\u2019m very, very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    • The Tourist by Phil Tufnell (HarperCollins, \u00a322) is out now. Visit expressbookshop.com or call 020 3176 3832. Free UK P&P on orders over \u00a325<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      [ad_1] Phil with England in 1993 (Image: Getty) One night on Jersey in 2004, a grand piano in Phil Tufnell\u2019s hotel trundled along a corridor and plunged down a flight of stairs. It made a noise so loud it could possibly have been heard on neighbouring Channel Islands. Phil had been filming the short-lived It\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1023],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}