A contestant in reality TV show Wife Swap says she does not regret taking part, despite returning home to discover that her dog had drowned.

Deborah Collinson, 49, volunteered to take part in the programme, which sees women swap their homes and families for ten days.

The mother-of-two told of her despair when she heard that her loyal Old English Sheepdog Digby had died in a 9ft deep swimming pool while she lived with Linda Lavin's family in Liverpool.

Members of the crew tried in vain to revive the pet and helped to dig his grave.

When she returned to her Bognor Regis bed and breakfast, her husband Nigel told how the dog had been buried after it was found floating the day before.

Despite leaving instructions that Digby should not go near the water, Mrs Collinson does not hold Mrs Lavin responsible for the death.

She said: "My husband did not want to tell me until the last stretch of the show. He thought, if I knew, it would be more distressing and was worried I would not get through.

"No one's aware of the psychological impact of this type of programme. You have got to be very strong to get through - there is no point doing it if you are the wimpy type who bursts into tears.

"You're in a totally strange environment which is so different and you are immersed in it. You have no contact with your family or friends, no emails - you just have to get on with it.

"I don't blame anybody, there was a lot going on. Linda was in a strange house, the kids were out and Nigel was at work.

"At the end of the day, if I had been here - because I knew all Digby's quirks - it would not have happened but I do not regret doing the show, it was an accident.

"Of course I am sad I've lost him but I cannot keep wishing he's alive."

Mrs Collinson collected Digby from a dog rescue centre six years ago.

She said: "When I heard he was dead it was quite horrendous, like someone had taken the wind out of your stomach. It was really strange because I had been so focussed on what I was doing in the show and had tried not to worry too much about my home.

"Digby was a big teddy bear, so cuddly. You could bury your nose in him, he was a ball of fluff."

Wife Swap production company RDF Media, whose film crew had tried to resuscitate Digby when he was discovered, have offered to make a donation to a dog rescue charity through Mrs Collinson.

Mrs Collinson intends to get another rescue dog because she finds rehabilitating them rewarding.

RDF Media spokeswoman Alice Robertson said: "When the dog was found the crew tried to resuscitate Digby. A camera-man tried for a long time and also helped with the grave.

"We made a donation to the Sheep Dog Trust as a gesture because it was an upsetting thing for her to come back to.

"Digby was a very old dog and a bit blind and he stumbled into the pool."