I fell from eight feet onto my head and broke my collarbone to dust
After a long recovery, Wild Youth singer hits the dancef loor
GROUP SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR DANCING with the Stars contestant David Whelan has revealed he has ‘wires and ropes and stuff holding me together’ following a horrific accident last year.
But despite having a plate fitted into his back and collarbone, the Wild Youth frontman – one of the first of this year’s DWTS celebrities to showcase his moves – is determined to dance through the pain.
His fall occurred while he was in Cork celebrating the New Year with his girlfriend.
Recalling the incident, Whelan said: ‘Somebody lifted me up by the legs. When he lifted me, my arms got stuck in between his body and my body.
‘I had my hands on his shoulders and he lifted me up underneath my knee, then my hands slipped and I couldn’t get them out. He lost his balance and he fell backwards.
‘I couldn’t get my arms out and then he fell on top of me. So, I fell from eight feet onto my head.’
Realising the gravity of his injuries, Whelan’s friends called an ambulance. But because it was New Year’s Eve, Whelan said they were told ‘it’s going to be a twohour wait, so I had to get myself off the ground and get a taxi’.
The singer said his injuries were so severe even the taxi
‘He was shaking as my arm was hanging off’
driver felt sick at the sight of his mangled limbs. ‘I was sitting in the front with the taxi man. He was in shock; he was shaking as my arm was hanging off. He had to pull over on the motorway.’
Speaking about the extent of his injuries, the singer said: ‘It was pretty traumatic… I landed on my neck and I broke my collarbone into dust.
‘Since then, I have a big plate running along my collarbone and a plate in my shoulder.’
After he was patched up, Whelan was fitted with a metal plate.
‘I have wires and ropes and stuff holding me together. I had two major operations between last January and March, each seven hours long.’
Despite his injuries, the brave entertainer was determined the show would go on.
‘That was hard to go through, to experience that pain and not be doing what I love doing, it was a double whammy physically and mentally, so this year I just want to enjoy life.’
However, ripping up the dancefloor is obviously not without its risks given his injuries, and he had to get the all clear from his surgeon before committing to the show.
‘There is a fear… we had four serious meetings, I had to get him to sign off.’
And he admits some dance steps are harder to master with a metal plate holding some of his limbs in place.
‘I’m in pain every day,’ he said. ‘My surgeon explained that the plate is acting like my bone. If I fall down heavy on it, there’s a possibility it will fail. So I have to make sure I don’t fall!’
Whelan said his professional dance partner Salome has choreographed their dance steps to ensure his safety.
‘Salome and I have to map our way around doing lifts. Only four months ago I couldn’t lift anything heavier than a cup of tea with my left arm… I couldn’t even lift my arm above my head.’
Despite his ordeal, Whelan said ‘it’s absolutely blown my mind how far I’ve come’ in recovery.
‘I’m actually so happy that I have been able to get over that little mountain,’ he told reporters ahead of tonight’s show.
He also said the support of his devoted girlfriend and true friends has boosted his recovery.
‘My support is amazing. I found out last year who my people are when this accident happened. I found out who had my back and who actually cared about me, and they still to this day are there supporting me.
‘Ruth [Devine, Dave’s partner] was the most solid person I could have asked for.
‘She went beyond to keep me sane. I was losing my mind when this injury happened. It felt like the whole world passed me by.
‘It was all thanks to Ruth and my family and to my best friends who have been my best friends since I was five years old.’
Whelan also believes he has a helping hand from on high in the form of Mark Sheehan, The Script drummer who died unexpectedly last year.
‘Mark would be cracking up,’ he said. ‘He was a mentor for us. If it wasn’t for The Script, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. They took us under their wing, brought us to London.
‘I love all the lads from The Script… I’d say it’s very hard for them. Everyone will remember Mark being just a bundle of love and joy to be around.’