EX-DJ Chris Evans has taken his former bosses at Virgin Radio to court alleging he is owed £8.6million in lost share options following his much-publicised departure from the station.

The ex-Padgate High pupil, aged 36, has been waging a legal war on Virgin's parent company Scottish Media Group (SMG) at the High Court in London, over his June 2001 sacking.

Evans claims he is entitled to shares in the group and its TV arm - SMG says he breached his contract in a blaze of publicity and is refusing to pay up.

Meanwhile SMG is countersuing the former Guardian paperboy for unspecified damages over the alleged contract breach.

In court SMG's counsel Geoffrey Vos has argued that by June 28 - the day of his dismissal - Evans would no longer agree to turn up to present his breakfast show at Virgin.

The High Court has been told about the incident when Evans, and his pop star wife Billie Piper, were pursued by photographers while buying booze at his local Waitrose supermarket.

But Evans' QC Christopher Pymont said the carrot-topped presenter was "too ill" to work because of the stress he was put under by Virgin bosses.

Relations between the star and Virgin had finally buckled because the station no longer sought his creative input, he told the court.

Evans owned Virgin Radio, through his media company Ginger, but had sold it to SMG the year before his sacking.

The hearing continues.