BRITISH swimming legend Mark Foster admitted in Dorset that it “crossed my mind” to make a late bid to qualify for his sixth Olympic Games.

But the former world champion and world record holder added that he has now ruled it out and instead expects to be working as a BBC TV swimming pundit during London 2012.

Foster – 42 next month – spent several hours at Canford School on Saturday coaching 70 Swim Bournemouth swimmers.

In an exclusive interview, he told the Echo that after watching his favourite 50m freestyle at last month’s Olympic trials, he considered making a comeback.

The event was one of only three which produced no Olympic qualifiers, which means both 50m freestyle places on the British team will still be available at the last-chance trials in Sheffield in June.

Foster, who has swum in five Olympic Games and reached two finals, said: “It did cross my mind [to enter]. I would love to represent Britain in a London Olympics.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I’m jealous of those who will be swimming. I think a home Games will be phenomenal.

“Throughout my career I have wanted to go and race in exotic places but I’ve done two Commonwealth Games, a couple of European Championships and a World Championships in the UK and they are the ones that mean the most to me.

“I would give up my other five Olympic Games if I could swim in London. It’s going to be awesome.

“Americans I know who swam at Atlanta 1996 and Australians Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe, who swam in Sydney in 2000, have told me that being in front of a home crowd makes a tremendous difference.”

Foster – winner of six world and 11 European short course titles between 1992 and 2005 – said that watching the men’s 50m freestyle final at the London trials last month, he believed he could have won it.

“It was won in 22.4sec, which is the time I did in 1992,” he said.

“I’m gutted in the sense that the event hasn’t moved on in this country.

“The world has moved on but we haven’t moved on in men’s freestyle.”

The 6ft 6in former sprint specialist, known these days as much for his Strictly Come Dancing appearances as his swimming, added: “It would be amazing to swim in a home Olympics but there comes a time when you have to leave it alone.

“I’ve had a good innings but I’m almost 42 and you have to know when it’s time to give your body a rest.”

Foster said that instead he expected to spend the Games “sitting on the sofa next to Clare Balding”.

“I will be talking about swimming and promoting swimming and I will enjoy that,” he added.

“I am so excited about the Games. Long-term, the whole legacy is about grassroots involvement, about getting more and more people involved in the sport.”