Dancing On Ice's Greg Rutherford taking on 'risky' move only done by Olympians
Greg Rutherford is taking on a lift this weekend on Dancing On Ice that’s only ever seen by professionals at the Olympics.
The 37-year-old Long Jump gold medalist - who is partnered by Vanessa James on the show - is throwing himself into rehearsals ahead of the risky challenge. Greg said: “We’re working on a trick for this weekend which is usually something you see at the Olympics, not Dancing On Ice.
“I’ll be throwing Vanessa in the air while I’m skating backwards and then she’ll do two full rotations in the air before I catch her again. It’s mad to me that a few weeks ago I was struggling to stay on my feet and now I’m going to attempt a trick performed at the Olympics, that’s crazy!”
The move is normally done by Olympic skaters (Instagram)
Greg admits he fears dropping Vanessa (PA)The move takes a lot of practice but also a lot of faith in his ability, as pro-Vanessa is putting her life in his hands. It’s a responsibility that’s not lost on Greg. "I panic about hurting her all the time,” he confesses. “Everything I do, I’m thinking, “If I get this wrong, she’s going to get hurt.” I’m a tall guy, there’s a long way for her to fall! That’s always my concern.
“I feel a level of protection towards her. If something’s going slightly wrong, my instant response is to grab her and try to save her and I’ll sacrifice myself, which apparently she likes! She said that’s a good thing because not all pair boys do that. Some are quite brutal.
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“She showed me videos of previous partners who had left her and she hit the ice, it’s quite a rough world, I think, at the top, in that sport. I don’t have that in me to ever be like that. So it is very much to protect her first and then sacrifice myself.
“But Vanessa’s built differently, there’s a fearlessness in her that’s kind of infectious. She’s pushing me to be the best I can possibly be, I love that about her.” Ahead of tomorrow’s show, Greg also said he was enjoying the ITV series much more than when he did Strictly Come Dancing eight years ago.
He said: “One hundred percent I’m enjoying Dancing On Ice more than Strictly, I’m loving every second of it, I can’t stop smiling! It’s not a knock at Strictly, I just wasn’t as good at it. I was sort of plodding around doing the very best I could, trying to enjoy it. But it’s a different feeling here, I think. It just feels like a really nice place to be all the time. As much as everybody wants to do well and there is stress, of course, especially with the long hours, but it’s just a different feeling.
“This feels like sport. I feel like I can connect on more levels than just sort of trying to gyrate my hips a little bit. I think the way the training is done on Dancing On Ice is far better for learning than Strictly, I’m enjoying it more. I love it.”
- Dancing on Ice, airs Sunday at 6.30pm, on ITV.
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