Walliams begins Africa charity swim

David Walliams has embarked on a swim to Africa in aid of the BBC's Sport Relief campaign.

The Little Britain star has joined Olympic rower James Cracknell for a 12-mile swim across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.

Cracknell has already rowed the English Channel and cycled to Spain to raise money for the campaign.

The body of water the pair are swimming is a shipping lane and is also occupied by sharks.

Cracknell's wife, TV presenter Beverley Turner, told the BBC: "I'm nervous about the swim because it's a dangerous stretch of water... I will be watching from a support vessel with one eye trained on sharks' fins and tankers."

Walliams and Cracknell will be picked up by Dragons' Den's Theo Paphitis on his yacht and flown back to the UK after they complete the challenge.

In 2006, Walliams swam the English Channel in 10 hours and 34 minutes for Sport Relief.