Jake Quickenden was taken to hospital for tests after hurting his thumb “badly” while rehearsing for this weekend’s Dancing On Ice final.
The former X Factor and I’m A Celebrity star injured himself during training with partner Vanessa Bauer.
NOT good when there are only four days until the finale!
Thankfully, he appeared on ITV’s Lorraine on Wednesday to play down speculation the injury could scupper his chances of winning – although it is a painful dislocation.
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He said: “I dislocated my thumb yesterday. It’s a lot of fuss over nothing.
“When I was getting the X-rays and MRI scans yesterday I was thinking, ‘It’s just a thumb!’ but it’s more a precaution. I don’t want to lift Vanessa and have something happen. It’s precautionary and it’s fine.
“I’ll dance in the final. I’ve come this far! I won’t not dance in the final!”
Jake, 29, said he’d “honestly loved every second” of the competition so far, describing it as the “best thing” he’s ever done.
“I’ve just fallen in love with skating and that’s why, when I hurt my thumb, I was like, ‘I can definitely skate, it’s fine!’ But they made me go for scans as a precaution.”
Jake added on Twitter: “So I hurt my thumb today had to go for X-ray and MRI scan but I will 100 per cent be skating on Sunday, I have not come this far to let a sore thumb stop me!
“Thanks for the nice messages.”
Fellow skater Matt Evers, who was paired with Candice Brown in the competition, used his own Twitter to tell everyone Jake was back on the ice shortly after the injury happened.
Matt tweeted: “He went to A&E, X-ray, scans, cleared and braced up. He then got straight back on the ice. Nothing is gunna stop him. His attitude is incredible and work ethic is second to none.”
Jake will compete against rugby player Max Evans and Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent to win the 2018 series of Dancing On Ice.
The trio made the final last weekend when Love Island’s Kem Cetinay was eliminated.
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A stunned Jake later told fans: “We did it.. I honestly can’t believe we made the final. Thank you to everyone who voted, I didn’t have a perfect night but that’s what can happen so easily!!
“I have had the time of my life and I won’t ever forget this amazing experience… thanks again and I will try [to] do my best in the final.”
Dancing On Ice’s final airs from 6pm on Sunday on ITV.
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