Griff Rhys Jones jumped from a burning boat into waters which he had been told were infested with deadly sharks, it emerged today.

Sea scare: Griff Rhys Jones with his wife Jo

The comedian, his wife Jo and 15 friends and crew had to dive into the sea near the Galapagos I s lands after a blaze began in the bo at ' s eng ine room.

The party jumped on the orders of the captain who, minutes earlier, had warned them about hammerhead sharks.

In the panic, the 55-year-old TV star became parted from his graphic designer wife.

A source said: "Griff was at the stern and Jo was at the bow and they lost each other for a good 10 minutes. It was truly terrifying." The party spent 30 minutes in the sea before they were rescued by an American cruise ship which took them to ecuador, 600 miles away.

Most had no ID or money. Rhys Jones also lost his laptop which contained his near-completed book.

The source said that when the party were told they were in shark territory "everyone laughed" but added: "They were not so jolly when they were swimming for their lives.

"There was panic, as you could barely see because of the smoke."

A spokesman for Rhys Jones, a keen sailor who has a 45ft yacht, said: "he's home and everyone is fine."