Plymouth Evening Herald reporter Tristan Nichols may be used to seeing his byline on the front page, but he is now having to get used seeing his face plastered on there too – after becoming the star of a new holiday brochure.

Last year the intrepid journalist spent five gruelling days modelling in the Costa del Sol for an assignment for First Choice, frolicking in the sun with a makeshift family and posing for pictures to promote the resort of Benalmadena.

Earlier editions of First Choice’s brochures had featured only small photographs of Tristan and his fellow models on inside pages, but when he visited the travel agents a few weeks ago he discovered he had become a cover boy.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “I had no idea. My mum had been pestering me asking me if I knew when the new brochures were out and when I walked into the travel agent I saw myself looking back at me.”

The picture, on the front of First Choice Families, shows Tristan entertaining three-year-old ‘daughter’ Georgia, who was not even supposed to be taking part in the assignment.

He said: “It was really nice. I had never met the family before and it was only the older two kids who were meant to be taking part, but the model didn’t want to leave Georgia behind.

“She was feeling left out so we starting messing around and the photographer said ‘can you do that again’.”

Now Tristan is finding he is starting to get recognised – although not all the comments have been complimentary.

Tristan said: “I’ve had all sorts of comments, including some from friends who say that (having seen the picture) they don’t feel like going away anymore!”