Cranwell officer crowned Britain’s manliest man

Alun Pepper with ITV This Morning presenter Amanda Holden

An officer based at RAF Cranwell has been crowned Britain’s Manliest Man.

Alun Pepper (43)who beat thousands of hopefuls in a public vote to win the title said being a father and fighting on the frontline are equal when it came to comparing manliness.

The RAF Fast Jet Weapons Systems officer beat testicular cancer in 2006 and stated in his competition entry form that his manliest attribute was raising awareness of the disease.

And when asked what he believed made a man manly, Alun said that it was something that was different for each individual.

He said: “I’ve got a friend who has two kids, he works hard at his job to look after them and to spend time with them.

“But then I’ve seen veterans come back from conflict having lost limbs but I don’t think you can compare the two – looking after a family is just as manly to me as anything else,” he said.

Alun was invited to appear on ITV’s This Morning to talk about why he entered the competition.

He said: “I decided to enter because I thought it would be a good way to raise a lot of awareness about testicular cancer.”

“Even if I have made a difference to just one person it would all have been worthwhile.

Alun discovered a lump in 2006 and went to see his doctor straight away.

He said he had been aware of campaigns encouraging men to get themselves checked out and didn’t hesitate in getting checked too.