They told us about their tears, fears and elation at raising £1.5 million for charity while on the holiday of a lifetime. They didn’t mention the flatulence.

However, the trainer who motivated two DJs, five pop stars and two television presenters to climb Africa’s highest peak said that the most enduring memory of the Red Nose Climb to Kilimanjaro was the smell.

Greg Whyte, 41, also described how he harnessed the collective egos of nine celebrities — most of whom were strangers to sturdy footwear — and pushed them to the peak for Comic Relief.

Given that this was a celebrity affair, they were accompanied by two film crews, multimedia and medical teams, 32 other production staff and 120 local porters.

“After eight days of no showers or running water, outside toilets, and sleeping in the open air, everybody smelt so bad,” he said. “That’s more than 160 smelly people.”

But what the nation wants to know is: who reeked the most? Surely not fragrant Cheryl Cole? Or squeaky- clean Gary Barlow? The safe money is on Chris Moyles, the Radio 1 DJ who is no stranger to vulgarity for comic purposes.

Mr Whyte refused to name names. “Everyone was smelling badly at once. Half the time you have diarrhoea, half the time you’re constipated. Fearne [Cotton] was vomiting, as was Denise [Van Outen].”

He explained that exertion at high altitudes does unpleasant things to the human body, even those with a No 1 hit (Ronan Keating).

“All I can say is that there was lots of misery out there. And lots of farting.” Consequently, diva-like behaviour was not a problem, he said. “How could it have been? There was not a single thing to be a diva about. It was eight days of purgatory. It was like a refugee camp, on every level.”

The highs and lows of the team’s attempt to Do Summit Funny for Money were broadcast in the run-up to the television fundraiser, which aired last night, reaching a total of £54.7 million by the end of the programme.

The team of climbers raised more than £1.5 million for malaria prevention in Tanzania, where Kilimanjaro towers 19,340ft above sea level.

Gordon Brown has pledged a further £2 million, after all of the celebrities — Cole, 25; Cotton, 27; Keating, 32; Barlow, 38; Van Outen, 34; Moyles, 35; Kimberley Walsh, 27; Alesha Dixon, 30; and Ben Shephard, 34 — reached the summit.

It was the responsibility of Whyte, director of science and research at the English Institute of Sport who has trained a series of British Olympians, to get the celebrities fit for purpose.

He said: “There is very little difference between elite athletes preparing for an Olympic Games and celebrities doing something like this, in the sense that there is great expectation of success, never expectation of failure.”

Training began in October, starting with 2½ hours in the first week, and culminating in 25 hours of training in the final week. The first challenge was dealing with the different fitness levels — from the likes of Shephard, “a runner in great physical condition”, to Moyles, “a self-confessed drinking, smoking, nonexerciser”.

“You have nine individuals, but unlike an elite team, who tend to be quite similar in physical capacity and psychology, you’ve got nine entirely different people, of different levels, so what you’re trying to do is approach it in a way that suits everyone. Everybody had a low moment.”

Barlow’s back gave out. Cole and Cotton both collapsed and needed injections for severe altitude sickness.

Like any self-respecting multimillionaire popstar, Cole “struggled with the personal hygiene”, or rather lack of. But “she showed a physical capacity and a toughness I hadn’t expected”, the trainer said.

He reserved his most enthusiastic praise for Denise Van Outen — “the $60-million-dollar woman”, although quite what he means is unclear.

Anyone seeking to belittle the achievement need only look to the middle-aged Brit that the team encountered on the climb. The tourist was suffering from two extreme forms of altitude sickness — “pulmonary oedema” and “cerebral oedema”.

“Had our medical team not intervened, that could well have been fatal,” Mr Whyte said. “You’re talking about a hostile environment here; 30 per cent of those who try don’t reach the summit.” Indeed, ten climbers die trying to conquer the mountain every year. “So to scoff at the achievements of these people who were inexperienced is just a case of sour grapes.”

That said, he predicted that none would swap their lifestyles for more mountaineering. “I can’t see them doing Everest.”

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