David Cameron has conjured up the image of him "stripped down to the waist" fighting a giant rat in his kitchen.
In an interview with Heat magazine, the prime minister was asked about his phobias. "I’m not very keen on rats," he revealed. "We had one in our kitchen once, it came in through the cat flap. It was horrible, and I kind of found it in the middle of the night."
He added: "I’d like to say I stripped down to the waist and wrestled it and threw it out, but I didn’t. It had found a hole in the skirting board and it was disappearing through that. So, not nice! But if there’s a spider in the bath send for me! Samantha’s not good on spiders, but I can do creepy crawlies."
In the interview, the prime minister also said he makes his own pepperoni and mozzarella pizza with chilies. "Everything with chili in, chili jam, chili sauce, chili everything, hot, hot, the hotter the better!" he said.
The prime minister also said he has difficulty with multi-tasking when asked if he listens to music while jogging: "I’m a man, I can’t do two things at once. Don’t be ridiculous!"
And asked what he missed about life before being prime minister, Cameron said: "I miss just jumping in the car, driving down to the village shop, picking up the newspaper and a pint of milk. I miss driving as well, actually. You know, putting some music on, driving the car, losing yourself a bit, I miss that."