GREG RUTHERFORD is known for winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London for his incredible long jumping abilities.
After retiring, he featured in TV shows like ‘Dancing on Ice’ but got injured during rehearsals, while actor Ryan Thomas secured the win.
What happened to Greg Rutherford?
The 37-year-old was forced out of Dancing on Ice due to a serious injury, only hours before the live show.
Rutherford’s professional skating partner Vanessa James announced the news on social media, stating: “Unfortunately Greg has sustained a significant injury this morning at rehearsals and won’t be able to perform tonight.
“We are on our way to the hospital for Greg to get examined further and receive the treatment he needs,” she explained
A spokesman for the ITV show added: “Sadly Olympian Greg Rutherford MBE has had to withdraw from Dancing On Ice after sustaining an injury whilst in rehearsals for the final episode of the current series.
“Greg and Vanessa have been such a popular couple this series and have performed some truly memorable routines.
“We will be helping to support Greg and wish him well with his recovery. We also want to thank him for being such a treasured member of the Dancing on Ice family,” they added.
His fiancée Susie also shared a message from hospital, where he was recuperating, saying “Not quite how @gregjrutherford anticipated spending today.
“Thank you for all your kind messages.”
He had been a favourite to win the 2024 series, as it had already been predicted to be the “the closest ever” final out of all 16 series.
Body language expert Darren Stanton believed that Rutherford would have been the one that came out on top.
Speaking to Betfair Casino, Stanton had said: “They have been consistently strong and connected the whole way through.
“When you see Greg and Vanessa perform, Greg is so advanced that he could be a professional skater.”
Speaking about his injury, the British long-jumping record holder said: “I thought I was out of the show at that point, I didn’t think I was (going to be) able to carry on because it was so painful.
“And we’ve been effectively just letting it heal as much as we can, while still pushing. I’ve been really, really lucky… (it is) still healing so it still pulls ever so often (and) feels a bit tight and sore.
“But this is performance-led and I had exactly the same when I was an athlete, I think there’s probably only one major in my career where I felt completely healthy.
“So you expect to have these little niggles and little issues, so you just put your mind to it and push through it.”
Who won Dancing on Ice 2024?
In the end, former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas won the final of the 2024 series alongside pro partner Amani Fancy.
The actor – who is best known for playing Jason Grimshaw on the ITV soap – thanked fans for keeping him in the competition.
He wrote: “Thank you to everyone that votes, sends messages.
“I read & think how lucky I am to be liked by people I’ve never even met before, there’s a lot to be said for just people being kind, it really makes a difference.”
What else has Greg Rutherford been in?
Aside from the dance competition, the athlete is no stranger to entertaining TV shows.
In 2012, Rutherford and gymnast Louis Smith participated in an episode of The Million Pound Drop Live as part of its ‘Celebrity Games’ series.
A year later, he featured in an episode of Fake Reaction, a celebrity special edition of The Cube, where he won £20,000 for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and Hula Animal Rescue.
He also served as a panellist on Would I Lie to You?
In the same year, he was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to athletics.
In 2014, he appeared in both The Great Sport Relief Bake Off and The Chase: Celebrity Special, unfortunately losing out on both shows.
Rutherford then tried his hand at living in a different era in Channel 4’s Time Crashers.
Speaking at the time, Rutherford explained his passion for all things medieval: “I spend a lot of time at home watching the History Channel; I’m a massive geek at heart.”
He then took part in his first dance competition in the form of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, partnering with professional Natalie Lowe, before being eliminated in week nine.
Rutherford was forced to pull out of the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships due to an injury, but instead took the helm as a Eurosport expert analyst.
He did, however, win the 2019 Celebrity MasterChef, adding another trophy to his collection.
Rutherford also revealed that he was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness while taking part in the BBC Two series Pilgrimage, where he walked the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage route to Rome.
In April 2021, Rutherford teamed up with fellow British Olympians Nicola Adams and Kelly Smith, as well as fitness instructor Mr Motivator, to launch the ‘Energy Fit for the Future’ campaign by Smart Energy GB.
The campaign aimed to encourage people to install smart meters in their homes.
Rutherford returned to Eurosport and Discovery+ in 2021, to cover the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics Games as a reporter on the ground in Japan.
Then, in October 2023, Greg was confirmed as a contestant on the 2024 series of Dancing On Ice.
