MORE than six million viewers tuned into watch celebrity diving contest Splash! co-presented by Vernon Kay.

Celebrity contestants took the plunge after spending weeks building up the courage to dive into an Olympic-sized pool under the coaching of London 2012 diving star Tom Daley.

Vernon, originally from Horwich, presents the ITV show with Gabby Logan.

The new talent show Splash! proved to be a ratings hit as it ranked as Saturday night’s most watched programme despite a mixed response from viewers.

The opening episode attracted an average of 5.6 million viewers — one quarter of the total audience share, ITV said. At its peak, 6.3 million viewers were tuned in to see comedian Omid Djalili and Benidorm star Jake Canuso dive into the next round.

Vernon wore shorts while he presented from poolside.