Ananova:

Shattered contestant Lucy Dawson says she is having trouble sleeping after walking out of the Channel 4 show.

Lucy, 21, decided she had had enough on Tuesday afternoon after staying awake for more than 75 hours as part of a week-long TV challenge to stay awake and win £100,000.

But still she is finding it hard to get back to normal life.

Speaking at a joint press conference in east London with eliminated contestant, Craig North, she said: "I went home and slept last night but I was so excited because I had seen the show on TV and was too excited to go to sleep.

"I was falling asleep but I kept hearing this camera on the show that makes a squeaky sound. In my mind I thought I was still on camera.

"I had some really weird dreams."

The politics and philosophy student defended the controversial show that has been branded cruel by commentators.

She said: "We chose to do it. When I decided to leave I spoke to the psychologist who was brilliant and said I'd made the right choice. I didn't want to leave because the group would have been one less but I didn't feel under pressure to stay."

Now Lucy says she is looking forward to becoming a "proper person" and forging a career in the civil service.

Lucy said she wanted to appear on the show because it was "something exciting and different".

She said: "When I watched the show back I thought it was absolutely funny and I was in hysterics. I would do it again, it was a great experience."