A total of 15.7 million viewers, a 62.2 per cent share of the television audience, tuned in just after 10pm to watch Kerry McFadden, 23, being crowned queen of the jungle.

It is the biggest audience share for ITV in more than two years and five times more tuned in for the finale than watched the 10 O'Clock news on BBC One.

Average viewing figures for the night of 14.1 million (a 54.5 per cent share) for the show beat last year’s peak of 12.7 million, and the Pop Idol record of 13.3 million.

Pop Idol had already beaten Channel 4’s Big Brother, which had a record 9.4 million viewers when Kate Lawler clinched the prize in 2002.

The series saw averages audience figures of 10.4 million, compared to 9.4 million last year when Phil Tufnell was crowned king of the jungle.

McFadden, 23, the former Atomic Kitten star, is now contemplating a return to her career as a singer or as a television presenter.

She is returning to Ireland where she lives with her husband Bryan McFadden, the Westlife singer, and their two children.

Jan Croxson at Princess Talent, which represents her, said: "She’s had an amazing experience. She wanted to test herself and she’s done better than she ever imagined.

"Lots and lots of people have been telephoning. We have very exciting things to talk to Kerry about but I don’t want to say any more until then.

"We haven’t had a chance to see which of these exciting things Kerry will want to do.

"I'd like Kerry to continue with presenting because she's very good at it. Kerry's a really good comedian and I'd like to see her do more acting.

"The first thing Kerry will want to do is see her kids in Ireland. She’ll be really missing them."

McFadden was the rank outsider to win at the start of the competition but emerged as favourite after Johnny Lydon, the former Sex Pistols singer, left and Jordan, the topless model, was voted out.

Jennie Bond, the former BBC royal correspondent, who finished second is also likely to have received a career boost from her experiences.

Sue Ayton, her agent, said the "telephone hadn’t stopped ringing" this morning.

She said: "Cosmetics companies have been very interested - they want to know whether it was their products she was using in the jungle and whether it stayed on.

"She has had lots of different offers and it is too early to say what she will be doing."