Rise like the Eagle
■
OLYMPIC ski jumping legend Eddie the Eagle believes the key to surviving this year’s winter freeze is to exercise through the cold.
And he has never turned on the heating in his current house – despite moving in five years ago.
The star, whose self-funded campaign in 1988 to become Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper since 1928 saw him finish last – but turn into a national hero – is still in huge demand for talks and appearances today.
While well used to working in chilly climates, Eddie fears what the cost-ofliving crisis might mean – particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.
He says: “I never turn the heating on. I’ve been doing up my house for five years and get cold hands and feet at the computer but when I’m moving I don’t feel it, so I walk around and warm up. It’s very worrying that people are thinking whether to eat or heat.
“I can’t believe what is happening in this crisis. “My advice is, you’ve got to keep moving. Even going up and down stairs 10 times in the morning and afternoon will help.”
The 58-year-old led a team of pensioner personal trainers for National Fitness Day at Inspired Village near Leeds Castle in Kent this week. Eddie, whose grandma lived with him when he was a child, says: “We’ve got such a strong message for the wellbeing of older people. “About 40% of over-65s have never set foot in a gym – but you don’t need to. “I’ve got weights at home, I get on my bike and am always stretching.” He’s regularly hot-footing it at ballroom dancing in his spare time as well but, despite a spell on The Masked Dancer, Eddie is unsure if we’ll ever see him on Strictly.
The BBC asked him to appear on Strictly in 2015 the year the film of his life story starring Taron Egerton came out.
He says: “I was too busy to do it but if they asked again might say yes but I want to keep it as my persona pleasure.
“I have an issue when it’ competitive dancing – it’ not like skiing when you’re the fastest you’re the win ner. It’s more subjective!”
After winning the diving reality show Splash! in 2013 Eddie is hoping for a call up to I’m A Celebrity instead.
He adds: “I would love to do the jungle. I was going to do The Island with Bear
Grylls but it got cancelled because of Covid and they asked me to do SAS: Who Dares Wins four years ago.”
While he was very happy to hurtle into the air from a ski slope, Eddie would never be confident enough to place a bet on himself to win a TV show.
He says: “I’m brave enough to go off a ski jump, gambling life and limb, but I won’t gamble money.
“It’s too hard to earn waste it on a punt.”
He also revealed he is loved up with a new romance, adding: “I refused First Dates because I’m not single any more – and am very happy.” And this winter he makes his panto debut Baron Hardup in Cinderella in Redhill, Surrey.
He says: “I’ve never done it before so thought I’d give it a go and it might lead to other things.
“I’ve only got Christmas Day off and have been going to my sister in Cheltenham, but this year I want to pop home to Stroud and, if things are still going strong in my relationship, we may