The former holiday camp showman was odds-on favourite to win

He beat ex-Royal butler Paul Burrell, who came second, and nightclub owner Fran Cosgrave, who was third in the finale of the show's fourth series.

"It's been an experience, hasn't it?" Pasquale told hosts Ant and Dec, who said Monday's deciding vote was the closest in the programme's history.

He follows Kerry McFadden, Phil Tufnell and Tony Blackburn as show winners.

The former holiday camp showman and television entertainer, 43, can now expect a career revival as a cult hero.

I made 10 friends - 12 friends because I've got the emus as well, but I'll never see them again Joe Pasquale

He had been the show's hottest-ever favourite to win, and took his victory in modest style.

He revealed that when he was first asked to be on the show, his view was: "I'm not doing that in a month of Sundays."

He said two emus had helped get him through the fortnight when there were frictions in the camp.

"There was some arguing going on and very early on, Janet [Street-Porter] scared the living daylights out of me," he said.

"And then after a few days, I got used to it. When she wasn't losing her mentality, I didn't like it when she was too calm."

It's restored my faith in the British public and human nature Paul Burrell

He added: "I made 10 friends - 12 friends because I've got the emus as well, but I'll never see them again."

An emotional Paul Burrell, emerging from the jungle, said second place was "beyond my wildest dreams".

"It was a fantastic journey - what an amazing journey," he said. "I can't stop shaking. It's restored my faith in the British public and human nature."

And Cosgrave said: "I knew I was going to be first out today. Joe and Paul have overcome some serious fears."

Has the jungle lost its appeal?

Before the results were announced, all three remaining contestants had to endure final bush tucker trials on Sunday.

The celebrities had to pass trials in order to win food for the rest of the camp.

Burrell had to eat a jungle menu including worms, beetle larvae, cockroaches, cheese fruit or "vomit fruit" and kangaroo testicles.

Princess Diana's former butler gained a following for his horrified reactions to his trials - and his determination to complete them.

Pasquale was put in an underground chamber while water and rats were poured on him.

And Cosgrave was forced to put his head into a Perspex box that slowly filled with water and eels.

'Deadbeats'

The last surviving female contestant, journalist Janet Street-Porter, was voted off the show on Sunday.

Street-Porter branded her fellow inmates as "deadbeats", but said she benefited from the experience.

Sunday's ratings for the show reached 9.1 million viewers, exceeding the opening instalment's audience of nine million.

Monday's ratings will have to be substantially higher to match the 14.1 million-strong audience that saw singer Kerry McFadden win series three in January.

Former All Saints singer Natalie Appleton, 31, was among two stars to walk out, leaving after learning she would face a fifth trial.