A HUDDERSFIELD student swapped university life for London’s bright lights to land a role in a new TV show that could kick-start his magazine career.

Chris Goddard, 20, is one of six wannabe journalists who will be appearing in ITV2’s The Exclusives, which starts this Thursday.

The University of Huddersfield journalism student fought-off 5,000 hopefuls to win a place on the show, which puts contestants through their paces scouring the capital’s party circuit for celebrity news.

Chris, who lives with his partner in Moldgreen, rubbed shoulders with the stars and went head-to-head with paparazzi snappers to be in with a chance of landing a 12-month contract working for a top London glossy magazine.

Although he is remaining tight-lipped about the outcome – filmed back in February – he hopes the experience will benefit his future career plans.

He said: “It was amazing and just non-stop.

“We survived on just a few hours sleep. I was exhausted by the end of it.

“You think when you watch it that it looks fairly simple, but everything takes longer because they have to set the cameras up.

“But it hasn't put me off. I would still love to do it.

“It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“My biggest hope is that my career kicks off from it.”

Chris was brought up in foster care in Blackpool and has no connections with his birth family.

He added: “I’m a rarity in that I stayed in education and I was well-behaved.

“Doing work experience when I was just 14 at a Blackpool newspaper made me realise how much I wanted to do a job that I enjoyed. It was a big turning point for me.”

The first episode, to be broadcast May 17 at 9pm, sees the group going to head to head with seasoned paps at the Brit Awards after-parties, trailing the streets asking hunks to be photographed and trying to get on with each other as they style and direct a photo-shoot.

It also shows how each contestant faced tough auditions before a panel of magazine bosses to prove why they should get a place on the show.

Chris tells the panel: “Only five per cent of foster children go to university and I fought tooth and nail to go through, and I’m proud of myself.”

The trainees spend their first week at More! magazine.

Editor Channy Horton said: “I think the trainees are going to find it much harder than they thought. Everyone thinks that working in magazines is great fun and it’s very sexy and glamorous, which it is, but it’s also, really, really hard work.”