Ennis will appear in the upcoming Santander advertising campaign, following in the footsteps of other British sports stars such as Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and world number one golfer Rory McIlroy.

"Santander UK's corporate partnerships with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Rory McIlroy have been extremely successful." said Santander UK chief executive Ana Botin.

"I am delighted to welcome Jessica to our extraordinary Santander team, to build on the success of our existing partnerships and to form a new alliance for us, in a different sport."

Jessica Ennis tries reaction game Batak at a photocall as she is unveiled as Santander UK's brand ambassador

The use of sporting icons in the brand's advertising campaigns have been hugely successful according to Santander, who claim their UK brand awareness has risen from 20 per cent to 94 per cent as a result.

"Santander is a traditional bank, as well as one that focuses on giving value to customers through very competitive products." said the 27-year-old Ennis, who has previously appeared in adverts for British Airways, Olay, Adidas and Powerade among others.

"I'm proud to say I am one of those customers, and am really excited to be working with Santander and appearing in the new advertising campaign."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]