Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards has reportedly been axed from Channel 4 show The Jump.
The British Olympic ski jumper, whose life was last year turned into a movie starring Taron Egerton, had frequently made guest appearances on the winter sports programme.
But after criticising the series, which sees celebrities take their lives in their hands as they attempt to master difficult and dangerous ski jumps, Channel 4 is said to have made the call to cull The Eagle from the upcoming new series.
“Producers didn’t like what he was saying about the show as it came in for a lot of stick,” a source told The Sun newspaper. “They are really sensitive because of the amount of people who have broken their legs or been seriously hurt.
“It would be hard for Eddie to appear on the show after his comments because he would have to explain them and there is a high chance someone else will get injured.”
Eddie’s first remarks about the programme came when he told the Daily Mirror that producers needed to figure out how to make the show safer for the celebrities – many of whom are competitive athletes.
Stars including Olympians Beth Tweddle and Rebecca Adlington previously suffered serious injuries on the show.
“They have got to look at ways to make it safer for the celebrities or someone is going to pull the plug on the show,” Eddie told the publication. “They won’t be able to afford the insurance cover on these guys.
“I’ve always been worried that without the proper training there is a real risk of a career-threatening accident. I’ve always told them to watch out because these guys have jobs and if we treat them badly they are not going to be able to do those jobs.”
Then, speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival last October, he told the audience that bosses had ignored his advice to enlist better safety precautions.
“I kept telling the producers, ‘It’s going to get very difficult, very hairy’ 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,” he said.
When contacted by The Sun, Channel 4 explained that Eddie’s departure from The Jump was an “editorial decision”.