Former cricket star Freddie Flintoff reveals how he cheated on reality TV show 'I'm a Celebrity'

Andrew Flintoff won Australia's first 'I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!' Photo / News Corp Australia

Australia's first ever winner of I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! has made stunning confessions about his time in the jungle, admitting he lied to producers to "cheat" his way to the top.

During an interview with the BBC Radio 5 podcast, former England cricket captain Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff revealed that he'd actually left the camp several times a day to get fresh water, while his unknowing co-stars were left back at camp.

Flintoff, 41, explained that after discovering smoking can't be shown on Australian TV, he told producers he was a smoker during pre-show conversations.

"I said, 'I'm a smoker', which I'm not by any stretch," he said.

"They asked me how many I wanted a day so I said five, knowing I'd have to do it off screen. I'd walk out the gate and there'd be a chair with a cigarette that I didn't have, I just sat and had some peace to myself, not filmed, and in nobody's hearing."

A chunk of off-camera time to himself was one thing, but during his "smoke breaks" in the designated area, Flintoff noticed something even better: a clean water fountain next to the medical tent.

Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff has admitted to cheating while a contestant on an Australian reality TV show. Photo / Getty

The former cricketer admitted that he'd filled up his water bottle five times a day, and was "more hydrated" than he'd ever been in his life.

"(My urine) was crystal clear. After a few days, I was thinking, 'They must think I'm a camel — nobody's seen me drink'," he said.

Meanwhile, his campmates were having to boil any water they wanted to drink.

Flintoff also came clean about the other lie he told producers before entering the camp.

He claimed that he'd fed them a fake story about being afraid of frogs in order to make the challenges on the show easier.

"You fill a form in about what you don't like … I put frogs because I don't mind frogs. I did this challenge and they dumped a load of frogs on my head," he said.

Flintoff became Australia's first King of the Jungle in 2015, triumphing over castmates such as Joel Creasey, Anna Heinrich, Lauren Brant, Barry Hall and Chrissie Swan.