Hulk Hogan admits he doesn't have a 10-inch penis

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has been forced to admit he lied when he claimed to have a 25cm penis, revealing in court it was part of his act.

Hogan made the revelation through his lawyer yesterday, amid a court battle with Gawker after the website posted a sex video featuring him and Heather Clem, the wife of his then-best friend, radio shock jock 'Bubba the Love Sponge'.

Hogan was forced to admit lied about the size of his appendage after defence lawyers for Gawker sought to argue the wrestler’s bragging indicated he’d chosen to make his private life public.

"I do not have a 10-inch (25cm) penis, I do not, seriously. Terry Bollea’s penis is not 10 inches,” Hogan said, using his real name.

Hogan sued Gawker for $134 million in 2012 for posting the video, saying it had caused him emotional distress and loss of privacy.

He first made the claim about his appendage in a 2006 radio interview with Bubba the Love Sponge, which is the host's legal name.

He said the claim was an invention in keeping with the Hogan character.

"So you were discussing Hulk Hogan's penis?" Gawker lawyer Michael Sullivan asked.

"Yeah, because Terry Bollea doesn't have a 10-inch penis," Hogan replied.

"I was in character. I embellished a little bit about the number of women (I also slept with). I was totally Hulk Hogan — I wasn't at home in my private house."

Hogan's lawyer Shane Vogt said his client "stood there naked, and exposed, to the world."

He said his issue is not the existence of the sex tape, but the fact it will now "live forever on the internet".

Hogan, 62, was crowned WWF and WCW world champion 12 times during his 1980s and 1990s heyday.

In recent years he has starred in Hogan Knows Best, a reality television show based on his life.