STAR-studded TV show I'm a Celebrity..Get Me Out of Here! has proved an eye-opener for one Blackburn company...in more ways than one.

For staff at swimwear suppliers Aqua Sphere Ltd make the plastic goggles which are all that stand between the squeamish celebrities and their Bushtucker trials.

Pin-up Jordan and ex-Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten have both been seen wearing the protective eyewear as they carry out their terrifying tasks on the ITV hit show.

The revolutionary 'Seal Masks' were chosen because they are watertight and scratch resistant with UV protection and are designed for comfort.

But seeing the goggles on TV came as a bit of a surprise for the company which has a distribution centre at Roman Road industrial estate.

For rather than bid for a contract, the goggles were simply purchased by the programme makers - possibly through an Apex outlet in America of which Aqua Sphere is a subsidiary.

And they only realised that ITV had approached the company when they first saw the goggles being worn live on TV during the last series.

Managing director Terry Whalley, 62, said: "It was a shock in the first instance but we realised it would be good for Blackburn. Our products are aimed at professional people committed to health and fitness.

"I'm a Northerner through and through. I'd rather run a successful business from Blackburn than anywhere else in the country. It is good that we can still beat the companies in the south."

The Bushtucker Trials, where a chosen celebrity must undergo a range of tasks to get food for the rest of the camp, have become must-see viewing for fans of reality TV.

So far viewers have watched Peter Andre stick his head into boxes full of bugs and snakes, Alex Best crawling through maggots, Jenny Bond buried with rats and Johnny Rotten scrabbling for eggs while being pecked by hungry ostriches.

But this is not the first time Aqua Sphere has had a brush with fame, the company is also a subsidiary of Aqua Lung - the firm responsible for making the first diving regulator for sea explorer Jacques Cousteau in 1943.