Castaway Erica Hurst will be showing off her Thai boxing skills during the opening episode of the BBC reality series tonight.

The 22-year-old was filmed being put through her paces at Bolton Thai Boxing Club, where she sparred with instructor John Banner.

Meanwhile, after the screening of the first episode, her newlywed husband Matthew Williams, aged 24, of Lostock, will reveal how he feels about his wife being so far away on BBC3 show Castaway Exposed. The couple wed in Las Vegas on February 5.

Erica, a former lapdancer from Kearsley, will spend 12 weeks on Great Barrier Island off New Zealand with a dozen other castaways.

Mr Banner, aged 22, of Heaton, said filming the training session was fun "It probably looks really funny because I must have kicked her legs about 20 times and she only blocked about 10 of them."

Mr Banner said Erica was dedicated in training and had been considering taking up amateur club fighting when she got a place on the show.

Castaway begins on BBC1 at 9pm tonight, followed by Castaway Exposed on BBC Three at 10pm.