AFC Bournemouth striker Steve Fletcher managed to scoff a whopping 100 sprouts in just 10 minutes – with not a drop of gravy in sight.

The charity eating challenge at the Hot Radio studio at the Goldsands Stadium raised more than £1,200 for children’s charity Make A Wish Foundation.

But it took its toll on the Cherries star, who was left a little green around the gills and cursing the chef for leaving the sprouts al dente.

“I didn’t enjoy that one bit,” he said afterwards. “They were too hard which meant I couldn’t get three or four in my mouth at once. I couldn’t crunch or swallow them. During a trial run at home, I did 50 in two minutes and 34 seconds. Here, it took me four and a quarter minutes to do the same number. I looked at the clock and I knew I was struggling.

“If it hadn’t been for charity, I would have walked out. It was only the thought of the money being raised that kept me going.”

Big Fletch was cheered on by wife Lynne and children Danni, 15, and Emily, who will turn 12 on Christmas Eve. Danni said: “At home he did really well but this is much more difficult. He starved himself in preparation. He’s only had a coffee for lunch.”

Lynne admitted she wasn’t looking forward to the after effects of the brussels sprout challenge. “People are more interested in his flatulence than anything else,” she said. “He might be sleeping in the spare room tonight.”

But has the challenge put Steve off sprouts for life? “I’ll still have some for Christmas lunch but not as many as I would normally have. If there’s any more than three or four sprouts on my plate, there’ll be trouble.

“I think I need a different challenge next time. What about Ferrero Rocher? There’s a world record for them and I reckon I would be right up there. I love them.”

You can still support Steve by donating to the Make A Wish Foundation via justgiving.com/ bigfletch.