Sir Steve Redgrave says he ‘hated’ training for the Olympics and has become ‘very unfit’ as he get’s ready to perform on Dancing On Ice.
As the record holder for the most titled rower in history, he told the Mail: ‘I have loved being back into a routine.
‘One of the things I hated in the sport that I did, is that you were always doing the same things day in and day out.
‘And then when I stopped competing 25 years ago, and now being back into that, I’ve enjoyed it.
‘I trained because I liked winning and being successful. And the more I trained the more races I won.’
He has won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds.
Sir Steve Redgrave says he ‘hated’ training for the Olympics and has become ‘very unfit’ as he get’s ready to perform on Dancing On Ice
He has won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds
Steve added: ‘Once that finished I was very happy to do nothing. I play some golf and some cycling, but that’s all.
‘But no where near the levels I was at before. So for me, now very very unfit.’
He also revealed he would love for his 94 year old mother to come and watch him after she never missed a performance when he was competing.
‘My wife will come and watch, but we really want my mother here,’ he said.
‘She is 93, and she travelled the world to come and watch me compete, a great supporter of mine.
‘She asks me every day how my training is going and what I have been doing. So the icing on the cake would her to come and watch me.’
The ITV skating show returns to British screens on Sunday with Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern at the helm, and fans were treated to promo shots of the celebrities and professional partners on Tuesday.
The exciting news that Steve is taking part in the show was announced on This Morning. He said: ‘It’s like going back to being an athlete again, I’ve been competing most of my life.’
As the record holder for the most titled rower in history, he told the Mail: ‘I have loved being back into a routine’
He also revealed he would love for his 94 year old mother to come and watch him after she never missed a performance when he was competing
Speaking on the daytime TV show he joked: ‘They have not found skates to fit me yet, I have very big feet, size 12 and very wide, I am having some shoes made for me!’
It comes as the show has changed the structure of the show in a huge shake up designed ‘to avoid upsetting the celebs’.
ITV bosses are said to have changed the dance-off as the stars will no longer have to skate a new performance if they find themselves in the bottom two, according to T he Sun.
Usually the celebrities not only had to learn a routine for their weekly performance but would also have to put together a dance for it they found themselves voted into the bottom two.
Now it is believed that the stars will simply have to just relearn what they performed for the main competition as it is said the duty of care is ‘paramount’ to ITV bosses.
A source told the publication: ‘On Dancing on Ice, in the past all the couples had to prepare a special skate-off dance which would be ready in case they were voted into the bottom two.
‘But that meant on top of learning their main routine, any group dances – and sometimes more – the pairs were in most cases having to learn a dance that went to waste.
‘Bosses have rethought the plan moving forwards and couples in the bottom two will now be asked to simply repeat the same dance that they performed on the main show.’
The cast of this year’s Dancing On Ice have been pictured in their best glitz and glamour in first look snaps ahead of its launch
MailOnline contacted ITV representatives for a comment.
The news comes after it was revealed that the show introduced a 24-hour hotline for stars to raise any concerns, following the Strictly Come Dancing bullying scandal.
The ITV show is set to return to screens in 2025, and sources have now revealed new measures that been introduced in a bid to prevent any bullying or abuse.
According to The Sun , ITV bosses have sent the celebrity lineup a six-page letter telling them they can speak out ‘without fear of abuse’.
In a similar vein to the chaperones introduced for this year’s Strictly, this year’s celebrities will also been assigned a producer to ensure their ‘wellbeing.’
Dancing On Ice returns Sunday January 12 at 6.30pm, live on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Read the full article here
