RYAN Thomas revealed he might not have strapped on his skates at all if he’d known what really went into Dancing on Ice.
The former Coronation Street star, 39, has made it all the way to the series final where he will take on Adele Roberts, Greg Rutherford and Miles Nazaire.
It’s been a long and gruelling journey that’s seen him overcome great adversity – like two falls in a single live routine.
There has also been lots of emotion with Ryan performing a routine earlier in the series dedicated to his late dad.
With the end now in sight, Ryan has been in a reflective mood.
Speaking to the media ahead of the showpiece, he joked: “If I’d known how hard it was I may not have done it!”
However, he had nothing but nice things to say about the cast and crew.
He continued: “But you know what it’s what goes on behind the scenes, the people are so lovely from the judges to the coaches, to the pros. They are a good, solid bunch.
“I love people, and they’ve made this experience amazing for me. It’s just bloody hard work. It caught me off-guard. I feel like I have done so many shows and challenges.
“I thought this was another one but this one has been a bit of a beast. It caught me off-guard, it’s the hardest challenge to date. I can at least look back and say I got to the final.”
The Celebrity Big Brother favourite is having to grit his teeth to get through the last week.
Even though he’s in fantastic shape, the relentless training schedule has taken its toll.
He said: “My body is really starting to struggle now. I’ve got pain that won’t go away anymore. It just takes a toll on you. It’s a lot for your body to take.
“We’ve been doing this since October, we’ve been training for a long time now, it’s really hard.”
The blows to Ryan’s body have been softened by the bumper pay packet he received.
We revealed the actor pocketed a huge six-figure sum to take part.
A source said: “Ryan bagged a massive £105,000 for the series – bosses knew he’d be popular as he still has a huge following from his soap days and they were keen to make sure he signed up.
“He has that cheeky chappie charm that always goes down well with viewers, and he is competitive too, so the producers are confident he will go far and is worth the money.”
