Dinner Impossible chef fired by the Food Network

The tough-talking British chef who cooked up a story about designing Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake has been fired from his US TV show.

After it was discovered that Dinner Impossible star Irvine lied about his credentials -- including having designed Diana's wedding cake -- Food Network bosses investigated the situation.

And now they have revealed they have given Irvine the chop and have not renewed his contract.

A statement from Food Network said: "We have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons and will be looking for a replacement host."

Irvine has apologized for his actions, saying: "I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family."

Irvine pretends to be a slick super-spy in the opening titles to hit series 'Dinner: Impossible', which promise viewers: "What you are about to seeis real."

A voiceover introduces his cooking missions by saying: "Robert has tackled some of the toughest culinary challenges in the world - but can he conquer this one?"

In one recent episode that aired in the US, he showed off his six-pack while facing the task of cooking more than 20 native Hawaiian dishes in eight hours. But he was soon under investigation by TV network bosses over his outlandish bragging.

He claimed he was a knight who owns a castle in Scotland, had cooked for presidents and royalty and was pals with Prince Charles.

But he finally came clean to a US newspaper that his involvement in the Royal wedding cake was that he attended the school where it was made and that he picked fruit for it.

Irvine claims to have worked on the cake in his book 'Mission: Cook!'.

And he previously told the Toronto Sun newspaper: "It was an English fruitcake that weighed over 360 pounds.

"I worked on these elaborate side panels, which told the history of the royal Windsor and Spencer families - in icing!"

But he then told the St Petersburg Times: "I was at the school when that was happening. They made the cake at the school where I was."

Asked if he helped make it, he said: "Picking fruit and things like that."

Irvine also confessed he made up a story about being a knight to impress wealthy Americans in St Petersburg, Florida.

He told the St Petersburg Times: "When I first came down there and I met people down there with all this money, it was like trying to keep up with the Joneses.

"I was sitting in a bar one night and that came out. It was stupid."

A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed: "He is not a KCVO Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and he wasn't given a castle by the queen of England."

Irvine had been planning to open two swanky restaurants in St Petersburg but they are still not finished three months past the planned opening. He also allegedly owes thousands to his website consultant and a St Petersburg socialite claims he owes her $100,000.

A spokesman for Food Network, which airs Irvine's show, said: "It's unfortunate if Robert embellished the extent of his culinary experiences."

By Nicola Pittam, Feb 29 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy