Greg Rutherford wasn’t convinced he would make the Dancing on Ice final.
The Olympic long-jump champion, 37, is one of the four contestants who will compete in the final on Sunday night (March 10). He is partnered with Vanessa James.
Earlier in the series, the retired field athlete suffered an injury to his groin which cast doubt on his future on the show. Greg managed to overcome the injury and has become a firm favourite to be crowned winner of the series.
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Greg spoke exclusively to Daily Star and other press ahead of the highly-anticipated final, admitting he wasn’t sure if he would make it following his injury. He explained: “There’s most certainly been a few moments where I thought this definitely isn’t going to happen.”
(Image: PA)
The athlete continued: “The worst was when my groin tore which will be four weeks on Saturday. When that happened I thought that was me done because the pain.”
Greg was concerned as you have to move your body constantly while skating, something he was unable to fully do when he tore his groin. “When you can’t do that you’re thinking, ‘That’s me finished’. I was gutted at first, classic me getting a little injury at the wrong time.”
(Image: vanessa_james_sk8/Instagram)
The dad-of-three praised the physio who helped nurse him back to health, allowing him to continue skating each week. “The physio who works on the show has done a tireless job to keep me going and doing well,” he explained.
While Greg hasn’t full recovered, he said: “We are currently in a situation where it’s still healing but I’m able to do what I need to do.” The ITV star opened up about earning a place in the final and how he feels about potentially performing the iconic Bolero.
(Image: Getty Images for The National Lo)
“I’m thrilled to be in the final,” he gushed. “Of course the last hurdle is trying to do the Bolero but I’m so happy to have made the final.”
Greg is up against Ryan Thomas, Adele Roberts and Miles Nazaire – but only two of them will be tackling the routine that landed Jayne Torvil and Christopher Dean a gold medal at the Olympics in 1984. He went on: “I’m ignoring the fact there’s still a little injury there but that’s fine and hoping everyone loves the showcase and we get to to the Bolero.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
