Capital radio DJ Jordan North was rescued by lifeboats on Monday night after going into the River Thames to rescue a drowning dog.
The I’m a Celeb star, 34, was out on a run when he spotted a struggling labrador near Hammersmith Bridge at 5pm on Monday.
North stepped out from a pontoon into the water to rescue it and was spotted by a member of the public who raised the alarm.
The Chiswick RNLI were out on exercise and reached the DJ just three minutes later, where he waited on a nearby float lift with the dog.
The pair were assisted by members of the public, who held up phone torches to help the RNLI spot him.
Both North and the dog were delivered safely back to dry land.
North, a DJ on Capital Breakfast, thanked the RNLI live on air: “A big thank you and a massive shout out to RNLI Chiswick who came and rescued me because I was getting a bit panicky. I was getting a bit nervy as well because I thought my legs are going to go, I can't hold on much longer so they got there just in time.
“The real heroes here are the RNLI who came out and got me, put a blanket round me. They're the heroes.”
North described the incident, explaining that the dog was owned by a “distressed” woman who had asked for help while he was on his run.
He climbed over a 6ft gate to reach the pontoon near the dog.
He said: “I'm on there on my own trying to grab the dog, with my light on my phone going "here boy, here boy".”
“But every time I try to grab him the currents take him, and I thought I can't go in. I walked onto the buoyancy pontoon and I manage to grab the dog, he's panting and crying. His legs have gone and he's so tired and been fighting this current for ten minutes.
“We can't get off this thing floating in the Thames, my leg has gone dead with a dog on me. Everyone is watching, so I yell "Can you call the coastguard, please?”
“But they can't find me so, this was a beautiful sight, everyone put the lights on their phone.”
He describes the incident as a blur, saying he couldn’t remember the names of the dog or the owner and walked home in wet clothes.
The heroes who delivered North and the dog to safety were Thames Commander Gavin Simmons, alongside crew Sid Blake, Tom Coe and Cameron Crawley.
The RNLI has asked that anyone finding themselves in a similar situation this Christmas calls 999 and asks for the Coastguard, rather than entering the water themselves.
