My greatest mistake: Christopher Biggins

In the 1980s I did a series called Surprise, Surprise with Cilla Black and I was earning a lot of money. When that finished, I kept on spending far too much. I filed for voluntary bankruptcy, which was very good for me because I was only allowed one credit card. I still only have that one card. My accountant insisted that I did a recount of my money, and I managed it so much better. The fact that I was surrounded by a lot of friends and was in a very good relationship helped me through that. I found out who my real friends were. Career-wise, things were good and I got out of the voluntary bankruptcy within a year. When I did I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! it was another story. I had a whole new audience: a whole new opportunity for jobs and things, earning bigger money on things like pantomime. So everything took off in a really good way. I was hotter than I've ever been before. Winning something like that is quite a feat. The financial slump that I experienced after Surprise, Surprise helped me to handle my new success better. I think actors are notoriously bad with money. Most of it goes on entertaining and I think people have to be aware that the days of great largesse are gone. That would be the advice I would give to young actors: to get your finances in place. You should get yourself a very, very good accountant. I'm 62 this Christmas and I'm in a very good situation in my career. I will always have a career in pantomime, but I have a much more lucrative career because of "the jungle". At my age I want to enjoy my life, I want to go on holiday and all those sorts of things. Christopher Biggins is hosting the Best Of British Variety Tour 2010 , which runs until 28 September.