Greg Rutherford, 38, says watching Dancing On Ice still gives him the chills, nine months after his horror injury on the show.
The Olympic gold-winning long jumper tore his abdominal muscles last year after skating against celebrities including boxer Ricky Hatton. Leaving the competition just hours before he and Vanessa James were due in the final, he had major surgery and has not been back on the ice since.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Greg said of this year’s series: “I am a bit nervous watching. You never know if you catch an edge wrong or if you are lifting somebody up and something goes wrong.
“Mine was a real freak accident. But look, you are on ice, you’ve got blades connected to your feet. There is always a chance something can go wrong and when it does go wrong in that environment, it can go really wrong.”
As for this year’s contenders, he said: “Mollie Pearce and Anton Ferdinand, I really enjoyed watching. They’ve already pushed on quite hard and are doing some difficult things straight out of the gate. It’s an exciting season. And, of course, you’ve got Sir Steve Redgrave on it. He’s a hero of mine.”
Greg is dad to Milo, nine, Rex, six, and Daphne, two, and said his six-inch ab-tear scar is the same size as his wife Suzie’s C-section mark. He added: “I’ve had a lot of bad injuries during my career but this was the most painful. But I’m not in any way trying to say I’ve gone through what a mother goes through!”
Thankfully, Greg is recovering well. He said: “I went skiing before Christmas, and that was great. There were no problems there.”
Although Dancing On Ice was the most fun job he’s had, he is unlikely to return to the ITV rink, for insurance reasons if nothing else. With a new caffeine drink business, his TV work and family life, Greg would struggle to find the time anyway.
Looking to capitalise on his 2019 Celebrity MasterChef win, he also has a brunch recipe cookbook in the works, and is in discussions with Rob Rinder, 46, who he met on Strictly, about doing a travel show.
Greg said of the plan to go from London to Jerusalem: “I love history and we talked about doing the Crusades and having food on the side. I’ve started to do things I really love.”
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