I have been sober for 4 months I’m going to get drunk like a 17-year-old

FINALIST JOE SWASH ON

JOE Swash admits Dancing on Ice has sometimes left him in tears with its physical and emotional demands.

And that was before his partner Alex Murphy kicked him in the head with an ice skate during rehearsals.

Last week’s accident has left him wearing a thick head bandage after operations to drain fluid from an infected injury to his right ear.

He has been cleared to skate in tonight’s two-hour final but admits he can’t wait for the ITV contest to end.

And the former Eastender says he’ll celebrate by getting drunk “like a 17-year-old” after four months on the wagon.

The dad-of-two told us how the show’s rigorous training regime has left him little time to spend at home over the past three months.

It has meant being away from his nine-month-old son Rex, with fellow TV star Stacey Solomon, and 12-year-old son Harry from a previous relationship.

“Me and Stacey are like ships in the night,” he said. “I didn’t realise how much it’d take over my life.

“We’ve worked seven days a week, ten hours a day for three months now. I see more of my son on Instagram than I do in real life at the moment. The fact that he recognises me on Facetime is nice.

“I get dad guilt massively with my eldest and with the new baby. My eldest, who’s 12, has really needed me the past couple of months but I’m just juggling. His school is 75 miles away from the studio. You have to fit it all in or they don’t see you.”

Joe admits being shattered by the training and his many injuries, including groin strain and hip problems.

“Once we finish training, I go home, do the night feed with Stacey and I’m back again the next day,” he said.

“Emotionally, this has had me in a right mess. Physically, mentally and emotionally, the past couple of weeks I’ve been right on the edge.

“It doesn’t take a lot to wobble me at the moment. It’s so physical and the hours are so long. You have to learn up to three routines. I feel so tired.

“There have been a few tears. I have a little ten minutes where I have a little breakdown.”

Joe, 38, and 30-year-old Stacey are ITV’S golden couple and Joe praised the Loose Women star for holding the fort at home.

I’m a Celeb winner Stacey is also mum to Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven, from earlier relationships.

“We’re very stressed at the moment,” said Joe. “Stacey is going through her own thing.

“While I’m not there, she’s at home with her three kids. Her day is completely packed as well, so when I come home we swap roles a little bit.

“Because me and Stacey are in the same business, we help and support each other but it’s been a long process. We’ve got a couple of holidays booked.

“You can lose perspective when you’re tired and you’ve got to come and learn a new dance and you’re stressing.”

Their son Rex has become a social media star in his own right