AFTER spending a year castaway on a windswept Scottish island it's no surprise that former Radcliffe man Dez Monks wanted to spread his wings.

But instead of recuperating from the BBC's reality show Castaway with a fortnight in the sun, Dez set off for South America in February for a seven-month visit!

"It didn't surprise me. He's always been adventurous," said his father Dennis (67) of Bull Hill Crescent, Radcliffe.

Dez (38), a former pupil of Stand Grammar School, became known to millions of viewers after appearing in the television series with his partner, Liz (31).

They were two of only five castaways who never left the island of Taransay during the year-long stay.

Mr Monks keeps tabs on his globe-trotting son via e-mail and the odd postcard.

"So far they've been back-packing around Bolivia, Argentina, Peru and Guyana. In the last e-mail he said we might not hear from him for a while because they were about to go up the Amazon."

It is all a far cry from Dez's childhood when his travel was limited to family camping holidays in Wales.

The couple are due to return to these shores next month, but his stint as a castaway has had a long-lasting effect on Dez and persuaded him to change his entire lifestyle.

Before the adventure he had a high-flying job as an international sales manager, but he has told his father that on his return he intends to be a house-husband in a new home in the country.