Ref. 12593-179THE prospect of Neil Ruddock living on meagre rations and surrounded by numerous nasties in the Australian rain forest has captured the imagination of Swindon Town fans.

Ruddock, 35, nicknamed Razor, is one of the celebrities about to appear in ITV's I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!

He was at the County Ground from August 2001 to December 2002, and although he became an instant cult figure, the move quickly turned sour.

Ruddock arrived in a blaze of publicity alongside former Liverpool boss Roy Evans. Evans quit soon after a boardroom shake-up, when it became clear there would be no further cash for players and that his large salary was too much for Town.

Ruddock stayed but failed to play a single game under Andy King, who was reinstated as manager in December 2001, and the relationship between player and club deteriorated.

Town ended up paying him a six-figure sum just before a tribunal in December 2002 over unpaid wages.

Now Razor finds himself in the jungle surrounded by spiders, snakes and other minor celebrities including model Jordan, ex-Atomic Kitten Kerry McFadden, George Best's wife Alex, pop star Peter Andre, former Sex Pistol John Lydon, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond, disgraced aristocrat Lord Brockett, and ex-athlete Diane Modahl. It is hosted by Ant and Dec. Ruddock has been placed at 2-1 favourite to win the show through not being voted out by the watching public.

Last year's show was won by cricketer Phil Tufnell.

Despite the acrimony of the past, amusement rather than anger appears to be the overwhelming emotion as Swindon fans get ready to tune in and enjoy the fireworks.

Ruddock will spend a fortnight living on rice and beans and could be forced to undertake all sorts of ghastly challenges, called the Bushtucker Trials. The viewers choose who gets to perform the tasks but will Swindon Town fans give Razor the thumbs up or the thumbs down?

Andy Ratcliffe, chairman of the Swindon Town Supporters Trust, said: "I'm sure there'll be certain members of the board voting furiously for Razor to carry out some unpleasant task.

"I'm not sure how the majority of Town fans will see it though.

"Whatever you thought of Razor and the way he left the club, he was certainly a personality and I'm sure that'll come across in the programme.

"I'm sure he's got a great chance of winning it."

Nigel Bennett, the Swindon Town Supporters' Club spokesman, said: "Fans won't forget the Razor scenario but we've moved on.

"I'm sure supporters won't mind too much though if he's forced to eat something horrible."

Swindon Town chief executive Mark Devlin said: "What happened between Neil and the club was regrettable but you move on.

"I think his cheeky personality will give the viewers a laugh and brighten up what can be a rather dull programme where not a great deal seems to happen for long periods."

Reserve team coach and player Alan Reeves said: "Razor is very likeable and seems to get on with most people. The financial situation for the club wasn't great but as a lad, Razor was a different class. That should stand him in good stead for doing well."

l I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here starts on ITV1 at 9pm tonight and runs for 14 days. There is also live coverage on ITV2.

Jon Ritson