David Walliams swim hit by 'Thames tummy'

David Walliams is falling behind schedule in his charity river swim after coming down with "Thames tummy".

The comedian has been ill with a high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea but has still managed to raise more than £200,000 for Sport Relief three days into his challenge.

He said: "I always knew there was a risk that taking in the water could cause problems, but now it's happened it's still hit me really hard. I was sweating in the night and have been to the toilet a lot this morning.

"When I heard the total raised had jumped to more than £200,000 it gave me a real boost, as do the thousands of people who have been turning out and cheering. There were so many last night I thought Take That were in a boat behind me.

"This is already much harder than I thought it would be - but this Thames tummy I've got is making the task seem incredibly difficult and London seems a long way away."

The Little Britain star, 40, is swimming 140 miles over eight days from Gloucestershire to London.

The BT Sport Relief Challenge: Walliams vs The Thames is being filmed for a documentary to be broadcast in the build-up to the Sport Relief weekend in March next year.

Walliams is no stranger to getting wet for a good cause - in 2006 he swam the Channel, raising £1 million in aid of Sport Relief.

He has also swum the Straits of Gibraltar and last year cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End, also for Sport Relief.

Walliams, who was supported by his wife, model Lara Stone, and mother Kathleen as he set off, is asking for people to sponsor him at http://www.sportrelief.com/walliams.

As well as making a donation, he hopes members of the public will come to the riverside and cheer him on.

People can check out the GPS tracker online and follow the Twitter feed £Thamesswim to see where he will be.

PA