Rapper will.i.am has defended his decision to send tweets while carrying the Olympic torch, insisting he was so excited he couldn't wait to tell fans of his pride.

The Black Eyed Peas star was among a number of famous faces who were invited to take part in the relay in the U.K. last month (May12) ahead of the London 2012 Games this summer.

He attracted criticism when he was photographed updating his fans on Twitter.com while jogging with the flame through the town of Taunton in England, but he's adamant he was merely overcome with excitement after keeping his involvement under wraps for more than a year.

He tells U.K. talk show host Graham Norton, "I had to keep it a secret for a while and it was hard for me not to tweet about it... (carrying it is) when I was allowed to tweet about it! When they created the Olympics there wasn't Twitter. The torch is a light and all I was doing was sending the light across the planet."

The ongoing relay will finish at London's Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the sporting event on 27 July (12).