Channel 4 upgrades safety as injuries force stars out of The Jump

CHANNEL 4 has been forced to tone down The Jump – the winter sports show – after a string of celebrity competitors suffered injuries and were forced to quit the programme.

The broadcaster announced yesterday that it had launched a safety review after Beth Tweddle, the former Olympic gymnast, who crashed while practising the ski jump, underwent an operation in which she had a piece of hip bone implanted in her spine to help fuse together two cracked vertebrae.

Channel 4 sources said that every event on the programme – including its notorious ski jump – would be reviewed to try to find ways to reduce the risk of casualties among the competitors, with extra safety barriers likely to be brought in.

Last night, a fourth contestant was forced to quit due to injury. Mark-Francis Vandelli, a star of the reality show Made In Chelsea, injured his an- kle during Sunday night’s show. Channel 4 confirmed that he had now withdrawn from the competition.

Tina Hobley, the Holby City actress, was forced to withdraw last week, after dislocating her elbow as she practised the ski jump, while Rebecca Adlington, the Olympic swimmer, also quit the competition following a shoul- der injury. A number of other competitors, including Linford Christie, have missed events after sustaining injuries, but remain in the contest.

While some viewers have called on Channel 4 to axe the competition, the broadcaster said yesterday that it would stand by the show.

A spokesman said: “The Jump is now in its third series and since launch 46 celebrities have taken part successfully.

“Though it is a new course, the events have been designed to be no more difficult than in previous years and all contributors have undertaken a rigorous training programme to prepare them for the show.”