Entertainer Rolf Harris has admitted he's a very "touchy-feely" person, but insists he didn't assault his daughter's friend when she was 13 and joined the Harris family on an overseas trip in 1978.
Harris gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday as the defence opened its case in his child sex trial.
His main accuser is a childhood friend of his daughter Bindi who, in evidence a fortnight ago, said she'd always found the entertainer's hugs "creepy".
On Tuesday, Harris admitted: "I'm a very touchy-feely sort of person. I would normally hug anybody," he said before a packed courtroom 2.
However, during questioning by his defence lawyer, Sonia Woodley QC, the 84-year-old said he never hugged his daughter's friend in a sexual way.
Asked about the main complainant's allegation that he indecently assaulted her after she had a shower at their hotel in Hawaii in 1978, the entertainer told the court: "No, it didn't happen."
He also denied having assaulted her on another occasion in Hawaii. The alleged victim says he assaulted her after wrapping her in a towel on the beach after she'd come out of the ocean.
Asked if that happened, Harris said: "No."
The Australian said he'd hated the beach ever since he went surfing near his childhood home in Perth. He was just eight when he went out with a surfboard and was dumped by a wave, injuring his groin.
Harris on Tuesday said he subsequently got severely burnt on a holiday to Queensland, leaving him hospitalised for four days.
"That's always coloured my view of sunbathing," he told the court.
Harris also denied indecently assaulting Bindi's friend when the family holiday continued in Australia.
He said he couldn't recall or remember if he ever tickled her in bed - as she's claimed - but was adamant he didn't fondle her crotch area.
"No, it never happened," Harris said.
Earlier, the star imitated the sound of his famous wobble board, sang a verse of Jake the Peg and explained how a didgeridoo is made.
Ms Woodley ran through Harris's West Australian upbringing before turning to his career highlights.
Harris described in detail how he invented the wobble board by accident in 1959 when he was trying to get paint to dry quickly using an oil heater.
"I grabbed it to sort of fan it down," he said, adding it went "blup, blup, blup".
He explained that he learnt to play the didgeridoo in 1962 and told the court "it consists of a hollow wooden tube".
He also sang a verse of his 1975 cover of Jake the Peg saying: "I thought it was hysterically funny when I first heard it."
At various times Ms Woodley had to bring the entertainer back to the point, saying: "I'm sure that's very interesting but" or "I don't think we need to go into the detail" and "Anyway to cut a long story short".
Harris apologised at one point, saying: "I'm sorry I'm waxing a little too lyrical on these answers."
Harris initially gave evidence standing up, but when Ms Woodley turned to the first time he was interviewed by police in late 2012, the 84-year-old asked: "Could I sit down at this point?"
In a quiet voice, he started his evidence by telling the jury he had no criminal convictions or cautions.
The court heard that by the age of 15, he'd become the Australian junior backstroke champion.
Harris was asked to leave university because when it came to psychology "I didn't really understand it".
He then did a teaching degree and started teaching, but picked up an infection in a river.
During a month's hospitalisation - when he was "totally paralysed" - Harris reflected on his life plans and decided to take a year off teaching to focus on painting.
He headed to London aged 22 to study art, but ended up scoring a gig singing at the Down Under Club every Thursday night. Subsequently he got a break with the BBC doing children's TV.
Harris arrived at court on Tuesday morning holding hands with his wife Alwen and daughter Bindi.
He was wearing a dark pinstriped suit, white shirt and purple tie.
Harris is charged with indecently assaulting four girls in Britain between 1968 and 1986. He denies all 12 counts. The trial continues.
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