Mr Whittock denies cheating

Tecwen Whittock, who is accused of using coded coughs to guide the major to the �1m top prize, said such "criminal behaviour" carried with it the "likelihood I could get caught".

Mr Whittock, 53, of Cardiff, who is head of business studies at Pontypridd College, south Wales, is in the dock with Major Charles Ingram and his wife Diana, both 39, of Easterton, Wiltshire.

The Ingrams deny the charges

They each deny a single count of procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception on 10 September, 2001.

It is alleged Mr Whittock used a total of 19 strategic coughs to help the major climb towards the jackpot.

Mr Whittock, a father of four, said he had been in touch with Mrs Ingram before her husband appeared on the show, but there had been nothing underhand about it.

Their contact had been limited to telephone conversations.

They had never strayed beyond their shared interest in the show, how to maximise the chance of being selected as a contestant and - once there - how to win the "fastest finger" round.

Host Chris Tarrant has already given evidence

Mr Whittock told the court he had suffered from a persistent cough for many years caused by hay fever and a dust allergy.

More recently he had also been diagnosed with asthma.

His throat condition had worsened on the day of the alleged cheating as he sat in the studio as one of the fastest finger contestants.

At the same time Mr Ingram had been fielding questions from host Chris Tarrant.

Mr Whittock said he had not known some of the answers, including the ones for �500,000 and �1m, despite having coughed when Mr Ingram mentioned them.

"Any of the coughs I made were never made to give assistance or guidance to Major Ingram," he said.

I was trying to psych myself up. I was in a state of mind, lost in my own thoughts Tecwen Whittock

Equally, he said, he had known the answers to two questions despite not coughing as the major struggled with them.

Mr Whittock went on to win the fastest finger round after Mr Ingram had won the �1m.

He said his condition had not improved until he drank several glasses of water during a short break before going on camera.

'Nothing suspicious'

He had gone on to give a wrong answer to the �8,000 question, forcing him to bow out with his �1,000 "safe haven" winnings.

Under cross-examination, he agreed he had appeared on the show in April 2001, just a few days after Mrs Ingram had won �32,000.

He denied he had tried to get on the same show as her.

You are picking out what you want. It is like a box of chocolates Tecwen Whittock

Questioned about why he and the Ingrams had never met or spoken at the studio, he said there was nothing suspicious about it.

"I was not interested in anybody else," he said.

"I was trying to psych myself up. I was in a state of mind, lost in my own thoughts."

Mr Whittock also accused the prosecution of presenting what he called "chocolate box" evidence.

He said the case against him was like someone who would only choose the favourite flavours from a confectionery display but ignore the unwanted "coffee creams".

During counsel Nicholas Hilliard's cross-examination of him, he said: "You are picking out what you want. It is like a box of chocolates."

The trial continues.