MY BAD BOY DAYS ARE OVER, ME AND DAWNIE HAVE WED..

FORMER hellraiser Phil Tufnell takes another drag at his cigarette and insists his wild days are behind him after he secretly married long-term girlfriend Dawnie.

The ex-England cricket star and TV's I'm A Celebrity winner wed fitness instructor Dawn Brown, 36, on a holiday beach in the summer.

Now Tufnell, 39 - famous for his bad boy antics on and off the pitch - says the couple are deeply in love, adding: "I hope this is forever. I really want a bit of forever."

The wedding comes after two divorces, and a variety of glamorous girlfriends.

Tufnell, the former ace spin bowler affectionately known as Tuffers, proudly shows off his wedding ring as he talks of his marriage to Dawn, his girlfriend of four years, in Mauritius.

"We had a lovely time - it was great. I'm delighted to be married and pleased to wear my ring."

So how can he be sure that his third marriage will be successful?

"Are my wild days over? What do you mean by wild?" he asks with a smile. "So long as you have your wife it doesn't matter how wild you are so long as everything is sweet there.

"I'll definitely be faithful. Dawnie's the one. I see things differently now. I want to take my last breath with someone holding my hand - someone I can look in the eye and don't have to lie to.

"Yeah, I think she's tamed me a little bit. Thank God, 'cos I was getting a bit tired."

Tufnell touched the nation's heart when he declared his love for Dawnie as he took part in I'm A Celebrity before being declared King of the Jungle in 2003.

The couple now live in wedded bliss in Surrey with Dawnie's daughter. Phil's two daughters from earlier relationships live with their mums.

Despite his years of success on the cricket pitch - he played 42 Tests and 20 one-day internationals for England - and TV fame, he insists he's not rich. "The ex-wives have been expensive. I certainly haven't got anywhere near a million. I'm no good with money. I couldn't tell you how much I earn or how much is in my bank account."

England's Ashes-winning cricketers hit the cash jackpot in bonuses for their success this summer, earning far more than Phil, who retired from the game in 2003, ever did.

"But they are still way behind the telephone number wages footballers can command.

"The money aspect is difficult," says Phil. "People deserve what they get - if you are the best you should be paid for it.

"There is a big gap between football and cricket because of the size of the sports. It all depends on bums on seats. More people go to see a football match."

And what about the behaviour of today's top sportsmen? "I like to think cricket is a slightly more gentlemanly sport. There is not a lot of room for mucking around now as it has become a lot more professional and there's a lot more money involved.

"Going to wild parties and then just turning up on the pitch is not possible because there is too much at stake. The boys are working hard in the gym. They are on diets - on this or that. I was probably the last of the wild ones. Thank God.

"I always tried to avoid the gym. I used to have a full English breakfast and the occasional fag. I would be ashamed to take my top off in the dressing room now."

However, Phil is still flying the flag for smokers. "I'm on about 30 a day - too many," he says. "I'm going to try to give up. It's coming for sure but it is difficult.

"I was one of the last 'puffers' who played cricket. There does come a time when you have to knock it on the head."

When it comes to the England team who won back the Ashes and then did some world-class partying, Phil is full of admiration.

He says of star all-rounder Freddie Flintoff who enjoyed an all- night drinks bender: "Good lad. It had been a long hard summer and they'd just won. I was like that when we lost, let alone when we won! It must have been fantastic. He may look back and think perhaps he might have had a few too many but it wasn't the end of the world. That will all be washed away by the feeling of 'Sod it, we did brilliantly - we beat the Aussies.'"

But Phil's not so sure about the skunk-like dyed hair of England batting hero Kevin Pietersen.

"Haircuts nowadays are unbelievable - or am I just getting old? Kevin's hair is fair enough, it's up to him. As long as it doesn't affect his cricket and he keeps his feet on the ground, he can do what he wants.

"When I was playing I had to take out all my earrings and cut my pony tail off. Back in the late 1980s when I played for Middlesex I had a ponytail.

"Our club captain Mike Gatting took me down the hairdresser's and made me have a haircut. So long as you perform I don't think it matters too much what colour your hair is. The England captain Michael Vaughan lets the boys enjoy themselves but they know there is a time and a place for work and a time and place to have a laugh.

"I think he has got that blend right. Vaughany is carving out a career as one of the most successful captains there has even been."

Phil even feels sympathy for Aussie spin king and womaniser Shane Warne.

"I am sure there are temptations when you are a big, well-known person like Shane. There are loads of things that can distract you. But then you know you have just got to make sure you don't get caught I suppose. Or just don't do 'em.

"Warney is a larger than life character - wherever he goes in the world he's always going to create a stir. I am sure he finds that hard at times.

"I've been out with him for a few beers. It is not just Shane Warne who has ever had trouble with a wife, if you know what I mean."

Phil will be glued to his screen later this month for the latest series of I'm a Celebrity.

He admits he went into the jungle to have a laugh but now he thinks the contestants are a lot more focussed on winning tactics. "I've heard David Dickinson and that Atomic Kitten girl Jenny Frost are going in.

"You think someone will be good because he's this or that on telly but then they are thrown into different situations and you see a different side. The real person comes out. There's usually a few fireworks and people kicking off so it's all good fun."

The friendships Phil made over the camp fire with fellow contestants like ex-footballer John Fashanu and TV design expert Linda Barker haven't lasted. "I don't really keep in touch with any of them - but you can't be big mates with everyone you meet."

Would he do another reality TV show? "Never say never," he says. "I'm not a celeb - just an old sportsman who had the opportunity to do a few other things."

Phil's latest venture is cashing in on the new craze for poker. He has launched a DVD for beginners. He says: "Four out of 10 poker players now are ladies. Dawnie plays - she has a good poker face. But I don't bet high. The most I've won is a couple of grand. The most I've lost is about the same.

"We used to play in the cricket dressing room for high stakes and it got a bit big. Then the rain would stop and everyone would go out on the field and no one would be talking to each other."

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-Win At Poker With Phil Tufnell is released on DVD tomorrow priced at pounds 15.99 through Warner Home Video.

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