Greg Rutherford’s Dancing On Ice win in jeopardy as he struggles with injury before final
GREG Rutherford has admitted that his groin injury is still causing him issues ahead of the final.
The Olympic long-jump champion thought he would have to pull out when he hurt himself early on in the competition, but he has struggled on.
The 37-year-old is however still in pain and unsure how it will affect his last attempt to impress in the skating competition.
Greg, who is skating with pro Vanessa James, said: "I thought I was out of the show at that point, I didn't think I was (going to be) able to carry on because it was so painful.
"And we've been effectively just letting it heal as much as we can, while still pushing. I've been really, really lucky... (it is) still healing so it still, pulls ever so often (and) feels a bit tight and sore.
"But this is performance-led and I had exactly the same when I was an athlete, I think there's probably only one major in my career where I felt completely healthy.
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"So you expect to have these little niggles and little issues, so you just put your mind to it and push through it."
He also admitted he does not feel "fully prepared" for the last hurdle.
"I think everybody thinks because, obviously, I'm the athlete (it's) win at all costs," he shared.
Dancing On Ice final odds
Ladbrokes latest betting predicts that this could be the closest ever final of Dancing on Ice
Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer - 6/4
Greg Rutherford and Vanessa James - 2/1
Adele Roberts and Mark Hanretty - 7/2
Ryan Thomas and Amani Fancy - 6/1
"But this is a very different world, for me, this isn't what I did before as well. I'm still learning every day."
Tomorrow night Greg will go up against last female contestant Adele Roberts, former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas and Made In Chelsea star Miles Nazaire.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of when judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the Olympic gold.
The celebrities will perform a routine, inspired by the skating duo's performance of Ravel's Bolero in Sarajevo at the 1984 Winter Games, at the weekend.
