George, the portly hedgehog, will be showing off his new svelte figure at Friday's Boat Show press day.

There have been unkind remarks that George, who weighed in at more than five pounds when he first arrived at the Wildlife Aid animal sanctuary, might make an effective anchor, but he is going to be a guest of honour at the Earls Court show.

A boat called The Hedgehog is going to be on display and George has been selected as its mascot.

But there is rather less of George than there was when he first arrived at the Leatherhead animal sanctuary. A couple of weeks on a healthy diet and the huge hog has slimmed down by two pounds.

"But it is going to take about six months to get him back to normal. He needs a healty diet not a crash diet regime," said a spokesman for the centre.

"We have had quite a lot of suggestions about how to get him to lose weight - and no - liposuction is not an option!"