Despite being scared of heights he took the plunge. Here is his account of what happened.

"I'M one of those people who when I go over a bridge, I want to jump. It's just this intense tickle in the back of my throat. It's like I'm on the verge the whole time I'm walking over that bridge, and I'm not going to get a release until I jump."

So said the American film and stage actor Willem Dafoe. Unfortunately I don't have the same suicidal tendencies as American film actors, so it's a strange feeling being stuck at the top of a 225 foot bridge over the River Tees in Middlesbrough. It's not how I choose to spend most Sundays.

But it is a strange feeling. Some people get aftershave or alcohol for their birthdays.

But to say "Thank You" for ten years of friendship my good friends choose to throw me off a bridge. I'm expecting to be pushed in front of a bus next year.

Luckily it's not just a quick drop to my death. I'm surrounded by staff from The UK Bungee Club, quietly tying me up to a glorified rubber band, before they count down my impending doom.

Climbing up in the first place is terrifying. Some 210 rickety steps to walk up before you have to walk along the cage at the top of the bridge. This was where the heart starts to pound faster.

I had to stop three (or maybe four) times before I got to the top. A combination of my lack of fitness with the sheer terror.

This is the worst part about any bungee jump – the anticipation. Knowing that within a few minutes you will jump into nothing but space.

Fortunately my prejudices weren't realised. I had prepared in my mind being greeted by a stoned student waiting at the end of the bridge to push me off, a man with a joint in his hand and long dreadlocked hair, ready to tie the string around my ankles. Just who wants to me a bungee cord inspector anyway.

However I was wrong. There was a crew of four professional employees waiting at the halfway point of the bridge. A quick check on the scales and they tied me up, before the waiting begins.

Ten minutes sitting and watching the two people before me jump off. And I wasn't even able to keep my fear to myself. To add to the worry and discomfort, a Press Association reporter has a camera stuck in my face recording the whole thing. "So how do you feel now?" You can't really swear on camera, or push cameramen off the bridge, too many witnesses.

Then it's chit chat with the crew, waiting for my turn. Luckily the cameraman wasn't going to get off lightly. He was tied to the side and had to come right to the edge to get the action shot of me going over. He asks a stock question about the funniest thing people have shouted while going off. No one has ever completed the sentence "All the single ladies" apparently, from that classic of rock songs. I'll try. The steps up to the edge take some will power.

Apparently the jumpmaster has never been hugged by a jumper before. I try to tear myself away, and stick my arms out like a plane instead. Much more dignified. Don't look down. Well, there's not much else to look at, staring at a panorama of Middlesbrough (Just look at the picture – there's nothing there).

Two huge chimneys in the distance, and the ground. Luckily I'm not given much time to take in the view, there's another 50 people to jump after me, and I'm taking up vital time.

So it's a simple 3...2...1... and then jump.

Sadly I only managed to shout "All the..." before I trail off with the bounce, with the next few minutes hanging upside down with a growing headache.

The adrenaline is just amazing though. I'm slowly lowered to a boat containing a man trying to whack me with a stick, and then it's off to the shore, and yet more cameras.

My pain and terror is quite a crowd pleaser. And that's it. I just manage to climb out before I hear the girl behind me squealing as she goes over. I don't think she enjoyed it as much as I did.

I'm told people who want to do this are idiots. It started in the 1950s when the BBC and David Attenborough filmed the "land divers" of Vanuatu, who would jump from wooden platforms tied to vines as a test of their manhood.

Well I was forced to jump, and I'm not claiming to have passed my manhood test (more girls seemed to do it than boys) as I spent most of the day clinging to the side of the bridge. But it was still fantastic.

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