SKI legend Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards is flying high as fan favourite on Dancing on Ice.
Viewers are rooting for the 60-year-old to win after he touched down on the rink last weekend on a giant eagle – before smashing a routine to Bon Jovi’s hit Living on a Prayer.
It was the perfect choice of song for Eddie, who was once made bankrupt, lived in a garden shed after his marriage broke down and lost his job on a reality show.
Eddie became a household name as the first person to represent Britain in the ski jump at the 1988 Olympics.
Despite coming last, his determination and British sense of humour won him public affection – and a plethora of TV and sponsorship deals.
But Eddie’s life has had more ups and downs than a ski lift.
He lost his fortune, his wife and his home and has never been able to shift his ‘Mr Magoo’ nickname for his clumsiness.
He was even involved in a recent ‘clash’ with his first Dancing on Ice partner Tippy Packard, who injured her knee so badly she had to pull out.
Just like in the 80s, Brits are willing Eddie to win, and Ladbrokes had him at 6-1 to come top, with Corrie star Ryan Thomas tipped to take the crown.
Welsh rugby fan Anthony wrote on X – formerly Twitter – last week: “Eddie the Eagle a dark horse for Dancing on Ice,” while another user, Lee-Anne Fox, commented: “Unexpected excellence of the night.”
Survived on loaf of bread
And one wrote: “When he came down on that Eagle all I could think was here we go, here is the joke contestant. Should have known better. Dude is a bit of a surprise.”
Eddie’s determination has seen him make three comebacks throughout his career – as a sportsman, commentator and reality TV star.
Plasterer Eddie, of Woodchester, Gloucestershire, fell in love with skiing during a school trip when he was 13 and later worked a season at Glenshee in Scotland before travelling around the European circuit.
He lived a meagre existence and later said: “Very often, I didn’t have enough money so I’d go to the supermarket and buy a loaf of bread to eat.
“Sometimes a slice would be what I ate that night. I just did the best I could with what I had, which wasn’t very much.
“I’d use any money I had from plastering with my dad to go as far as I possibly could.
“If that meant sleeping in the car, sleeping in cowsheds, sleeping in barns, sleeping in mental hospitals, scraping food out of bins and getting odd jobs here and there, that was what I’d do.”
He was ranked 55th in his sport and – as the only British competitor – made it through to the 1998 Olympics at Calgary in Canada.
He was staying in a Finnish mental hospital offering lodging for £1 a night when he got the call he’d won a place.
Eddie admitted he couldn’t always see out of his milk-bottle specs because they misted up mid-air.
He also earned the nickname Mr Magoo – after the near-sighted cartoon character – for being remarkably accident-prone.
Eddie told how when he landed at Calgary for the Games his luggage burst out of his case on the airport carousel, spilling pants and socks everywhere.
When he finally got his smalls back, he headed outside to meet awaiting film crews and fans who were holding a banner reading “Welcome to Calgary Eddie the Eagle”.
But disaster struck again. He said: “I walked toward (the banner) but the automatic doors had been turned off, so I walked into the glass and my skis bounded off the doors, and everything broke and I became Mr Magoo.”
The world held its breath as Eddie took his first Olympic leap into the air… and landed perfectly.
He finished last but stole the hearts of the nation, and earned more than half a million in the year after the Olympics, commanding fees of up to £10,000 to open a golf course or shopping centre.
But in 1991 he suddenly declared himself bankrupt, having put his money in a trust fund that went bust.
Eddie sued them for mismanagement and won a settlement of around £100,000.
Reality show drama
As his courageous Olympic performance faded from view, Eddie took part in Tom Daley’s celebrity diving programme Splash! in 2013.
With his daring fearlessness, it was little wonder that Eddie won the contest and picked up the trophy in a pair of gold lame shorts.
In 2014 he was given the job of commentator for celebrity TV show The Jump on Channel 4. It was a job he relished, but Eddie was axed three years later after voicing concern at the numbers of stars being injured as they attempted ski jumps.
He told a literary festival: “I kept telling the producers, ‘It’s going to get very difficult’ and they said, ‘No it’s all right’ and they’ve carried on and they’ve had so many accidents. I was very surprised that they’re going to have another series.”
The Jump was finally taken off the box in 2019 after 34 celebrities suffered serious injuries. Former Strictly dancer Ola Jordan had to undergo knee surgery and Holby City actress Tina Hobley broke her arm in two places.
Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle sued the show makers after fracturing her vertebrae in two places.
It was while Eddie was working on The Jump that movie makers got in touch to make a story about his incredible life.
Kingsman actor Taron Egerton played Eddie while Hugh Jackman starred as an alcohol-infused coach called Bronson Peary who trained the Olympian.
The film, Eddie the Eagle, was a huge hit, grossing £9.4million at the UK box office, making it the most popular movie of 2016.
‘Living in a shed’
But, as Eddie’s profile took off yet again, his marriage was falling apart behind the scenes.
Just months after his film premiered, Eddie told how he was living in a shed after divorcing his wife of 13 years, Samantha Morton.
He claimed to have lost “85 per cent” of his cash in the split – including the £180,000 he got for the film.
Dad-of-two Eddie described how he had moved into a shed while building a new home near Stroud, Gloucs, saying: “I’ve lived on sandwiches ever since because I don’t have a kitchen.”
He told The Times: “Because we had children, and other factors, I ended up losing 85 per cent. I’m wiped out.”
Eddie was asked to take part in Dancing on Ice after Gogglebox star Stephen Lustig-Webb broke his ankle during training sessions.
The skier later revealed he was desperate to get on the show.
He said: “I’ve auditioned for the show at least three times over the last 12 years. But they’ve said, ‘No, thank you. We don’t need you this year.’
“It was only because somebody broke their ankle starting the show, they rang me up quickly and said, ‘Do you want to take part?’ and I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ I jumped at the chance!”
But, typically Eddie’s appearance was not drama free. He and professional skater Tippy Packard had a bad “clash” during rehearsals and suffered a bad knee injury.
Figure skater Vicky Ogden stepped in to replace her.
Eddie said: “Everything is 1,000 times harder than I thought it would be, the steps, and every time I think I’ve mastered the step, they add something else!
“It’s just a constant challenge. But I do love it and I want to learn.”
Once the darling of a nation, Eddie has once again proved himself to be the comeback king.
Dancing on Ice airs Sundays on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
