Ten Things You Never Knew About Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan has carved out a lucrative career since being unceremoniously kicked off The Mirror in 2004. The author of two scandalous volumes of memoirs, he hit the big time as a judge on Simon Cowell’s smash America’s Got Talent and its sister show in the UK. And his rise to the status of household name shows no sign of slowing down with his recent triumph on the US Celebrity Apprentice, despite being branded “evil” by Donald Trump. But what does Piers get up to when not busy sparring with The Hoff or feuding with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Ian Hislop? With Britain's Got Talent returning for a second run on Saturday, we unveil ten fascinating facts about the irrepressible Mr Morgan.

1. Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan was brought up in Sussex, the youngest of four children of a meat distribution executive.

2. Piers was named after brewery heir and racing driver Piers Courage.

3. Piers paid his way by logging trees and bagging mushroom compost while studying journalism at Harlow College.

4. Piers’s earlier books include To Dream a Dream: Amazing Life of Phillip Schofield and two biographies of Take That.

5. Piers was a bit miffed when a recent poll of 4,000 people named him the 12th Most Pointless Celebrity In The World. He moans: “To discover that I was higher on the list than Ulrika Jonsson, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Lee Ryan was so shocking I needed to lie down for half an hour and contemplate various forms of suicide.” Aww, poor love.

6. Piers has his eyes firmly open when it comes to his old profession. He says: “I love journalists, they are a disgusting bunch of venal reptiles and I love wallowing in their pit.”

7. Piers left wife Marion, with whom he has three sons, for Guardian journalist Marina Hyde. They later split and he has been stepping out with Daily Telegraph gossip columnist Celia Walden since 2006.

8. Piers is relishing having his finger in so many pies in his post-tabloid career. He boasts: "There aren’t many people who one minute are judging piano-playing pigs with Simon Cowell and the next are appearing on Question Time." Mmm, he may have a point!

9. Does Piers ever feel guilty about squashing the dreams of so many eager hopefuls on Britain’s Got Talent? Erm... that'll be a no. “They know the score,” he declares. “If Simon Cowell’s sitting there on the judging panel, what do they expect? A big hug and a kiss?”

10. What is the one career ambition Piers would like to achieve before he retires? He says: “I'd like to wake up and see a headline saying: 'TV Piers ravished me ten times in one night, says Eva Mendes'." Hmm, he might be waiting a while on that one!