N-Dubz star Dappy likens himself to Bear Grylls

The chart-topping rapper says he has no qualms about capturing his own prey and killing it.

Dappy - whose real name is Costadinos Contostavlos - has often talked about his love of fishing and claims he spent his youth catching carp in London canals.

In an interview with FHM magazine, on sale tomorrow, he said his father used to hunt wild boar and rabbits, "so I have carried on his legacy".

"The other day I chopped off a pheasant's head and made a stew," Dappy said. "I used to go carp fishing with my dad on the canal. I love all that man-against-nature stuff. Hey, I am the real Bear Grylls. He might have the upper-body strength, but I'd be handy in the jungle."

The 24-year-old Londoner has been at the centre of controversy on more than one occasion including a conviction for assault, and he ended up in hot water for sending a threatening text message to a member of the public.

But Dappy - who was also caught on CCTV allegedly using the drug Mephedrone, known as "meow meow" - said he is a reformed character.

"I have done all sorts of naughty things. The worst one was probably when I got caught doing meow meow in a club. That was very silly.

"Everyone does s*** they regret, but I am a changed man - like Chris Brown. OK, maybe not Chris Brown because I don't hit women."

Dappy lives with his girlfriend Kaye Vassell and their two sons, Gino, three, and Milo, 13 months, although he admits he has been unfaithful.

He said: "I am with my baby mama right now and even though I have cheated on her, I love her to death. I'd be lost without her."