EDDIE the Eagle Edwards dived to victory in front of millions of viewers on Saturday night to win ITV'S Splash!


The former Olympic ski jumper, who lives in North Woodchester, wowed the judges and beat Benidorm star Jake Canuso and TV presenter Linda Barker in the public vote.


Wearing shorts decorated with a huge sequinned eagle, Eddie landed perfectly with his first dive scoring a maximum 30 points for the two-and-a-half somersault from the 10 metre board.


He also scored 29 out of 30 with an inward one and a half pike synchronised dive with his mentor, Olympic medallist Tom Daley.


Eddie, 49, who is married to Samantha and has two daughters, Honey, five, and Ottilie, eight, is now hoping to carry on diving and maybe even compete in tournaments.


"I thought I would be okay at it but never dreamt I would be doing the dives I was doing," said Eddie, who stole the nation's hearts when he appeared at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.


"Tom said I should take it up and maybe have a go entering the championships but the trouble is not having a facility nearby, which makes it very difficult to get the practise in.


"I am going to see how far the nearest centre is and whether it would be feasible to get there once a week or something.


"It has been a fantastic experience and it was so nice not only having the crowds cheering me on but also the viewers at home voting for me."