Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards said he feels a “lot of pressure” to be a good skater on Dancing On Ice.
The ski jumper and former Olympian, whose real name is Michael David Edwards, joined the ITV1 competition’s line-up after former Gogglebox star Stephen Lustig-Webb withdrew due to injury.
Lustig-Webb pulled out in October after breaking his left ankle during training.
Edwards, who has dancing experience as an over-50 modern jive competitor, said: “There’s a lot of pressure now that everybody thinks I’m going to be a really, really good skater.
“I’m a really, really bad skater at the moment. It’s a completely different sport. When I ski I automatically get myself into a certain stance.
“That stance is not a good stance for skating, which is why I keep falling on my face, because I’m used to arching my back and going forwards.”
The 60-year-old former daredevil said he does not “want to hurt” himself when he makes his debut on the show on Sunday.
He added: “I used to be very competitive but, probably over the last 20 years, I’m just not competitive anymore, nowhere near like I used to be. I just go out and enjoy it and have fun doing things.”
Edwards will face competition from former British track and field athlete and Olympian Greg Rutherford, former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas, former world champion boxer Ricky Hatton, Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney and singer Hannah Spearritt.
Thomas, Edwards, former EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood, Sweeney and TV personality Amber Davies have all said Rutherford is doing well in training.
Edwards said: “He’s (Greg) looking really good now on skates and lifting his partner.
“They’re much further ahead at the moment. That’s the challenge, really. I try not to let it affect me too much.”
Rutherford, 37, who skated when he was a child, said: “My older brother played a little bit of ice hockey for the local club.
“I never played ice hockey at all but I used to just skate a bit. We’d go watch the games, then they’d have the free ice periods, you’d go and do a little bit of ice skating afterwards.
“I have skated before but we’re not talking about twizzles or anything like that.”
He said his plan is to be either in the middle of the pack or follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner and former Olympian gymnast Nile Wilson, who dominated the competition in 2023.
Rutherford said: “There are aspects of it which I think maybe aren’t as alien to me because I have done this in Strictly (Come Dancing).
“The lifts and everything are so much more different because you’ve got blades on your feet, so that makes things a little more tricky.”
Norwood, who competed on a Strictly Christmas special in 2013 and was a Celebrity Big Brother runner-up, said it “is totally different on the ice”.
“I think I’ve still got splinters in my nails from day one because I was hanging on to the side so often,” he added.
“I suddenly started to swear so much more than I normally do. I might need a swear jar.”
Holly Willoughby, who has been off-screen since leaving This Morning in October, will return to present as Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse come back as judges in the latest series.
Stephen Mulhern will replace as co-host Phillip Schofield, who left ITV last year after presenting the programme since it began in 2006.
Dancing On Ice returns at 6.30pm on Sunday on ITV1 and ITVX.