TODD the Human Cannonball has been fired — because he is terrified of flying.

It’s not the gun that shoots him 40ft above the circus ring at 60mph that scares the shiny pants off him; it’s aeroplanes.

When Todd Christian, 26, a lifelong daredevil, injured his knee while performing the stunt, his employers, the Cottle and Austen Circus, decided that for his own safety he should receive specialist training at a space centre in Brazil.

But Mr Christian refused to go, despite clearly being the right calibre for the job. The thought of a flight to Rio de Janeiro, somewhat longer than a lob across the sawdust, was just too much for him.

“I know it sounds silly because I’m a human cannonball, but I don’t like long flights, and if I’m on a plane for a long time I start to panic. They sacked me on the spot; I am devastated,” he said yesterday from Scotland, where the circus is touring.

Mr Christian is discussing a claim for unfair dismissal with his lawyer. He has been replaced by Diego Zeman, a Brazilian performer known as Diego the Human Rocket. Unlike Mr Christian, Mr Zeman has taken the specialist training course which helps him to deal with the G-force that goes with the job.

“I feel sorry for Todd but being a human cannonball is what I have always dreamed of doing and I’m very happy,” the Human Rocket said.

Mr Christian, the son of a circus family who has been performing since he was four, has in his time been a lion trainer and a trapeze artist; he has held down the job of the world’s only indoor human cannonball since February.

“I used to get a little nervous inside the cannon, but I loved the thrill of doing it in front of a huge crowd,” he said.

“The circus have offered me another job but I don’t want it. I was employed to get fired out of the cannon and that’s what I want to do.

“If they asked me today to do it again, I would be there in a flash. I have spoken to my lawyer and he is trying to sort it out; if that’s not possible I will take them to court.”

Marnie Dock, who became the world’s first female cannonball at the age of 16 and is now Cottle and Austen’s expert cannon trainer, said that Mr Christian was dismissed for his own safety.

“We are very strict about the people we take on because it can be a very dangerous stunt,” Ms Dock said.

“The cannon puts a lot of pressure on the leg and back, so if Todd has had previous knee injuries it is a big problem. Without the proper training in Brazil it would be too dangerous for him to continue. We did it for his own safety; he’s a great guy and we offered him another job, but he refused.”

Ms Dock said the circus was trying to resolve the case without going to court. “As far as our lawyers are concerned, Todd doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” she said.

Acas, the conciliation service, confirmed that it had been advising Mr Christian. A spokesman said: “Mr Christian believes that the circus have broken the terms of the contract he signed when he began his employment. We have advised him to seek an internal resolution before he looks to a tribunal.”

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