Olympic gymnast Louis Smith is the odds-on favourite to win this Sunday’s final of The Jump on channel 4.
But he’s revealed once the show is over, he won’t be allowed to ski for at least three years.
The reason?
He’s going straight back into training for the Olympics.
Speaking to The Mirror Online he said:
“I can’t go on skiing holidays while I’m in training. I have the show finishing on March 12; I fly back on the 13 and the 14th I’m back in the gym. So straight back in to it, no time to waste.
“The next time I can ski will probably be after the 2020 Games, I will miss skiing but it’s not the first time I’ve had to sacrifice stuff.”
This weekend, the gymnast is competing against Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews, Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, Paralympian Kadeena Cox, journalist Emma Parker Bowles, ex-rugby pro Jason Robinson, model Amy Willerton, and returning contestant TOWIE star Lydia Bright.
Lydia has comeback to the show following her elimination last weekend to replace Gareth Thomas who has had to pull out due to “personal reasons”.
Read more: ANOTHER contestant quits The Jump
Gareth was one of the front runners to win the show, but now it looks like Louis’ main competition is Spencer who Louis has said has what it takes.
“I don’t want to give him a big head, but I said to him if you had dedicated yourself at a young age to a sport, I have no doubt he would have been an Olympian.”
Speaking of being in the final, Louis said:
“I’m extremely grateful and happy I’m in the final but I just want to enjoy it. I’m going back to training for 2020 after this and I know that’s going to be a very hard hill to climb so I’m just going to enjoy the moment and people there with me.
“If I win then that’s great and if I don’t then I’ve still had an unbelievable time.”
Louis is not the first contestant who’s revealed he’s had to sacrifice stuff for the love of his sport.
Former Olympic cyclist Bradley Wiggins previously revealed he had been offered a role in EastEnders that he’d had to turn down because of his commitments to bicycling.
Read more: Michelle Collins talks about EastEnders return
Speaking to The Daily Star, he said:
“I’d like an acting role.
“I got asked to be in EastEnders. A lot of things like that in the past I’ve turned down because I just didn’t have time.
“But now I’ve got time on my hands, I can do all those sorts of things.”