Inside Sir Steve Redgrave's secret health battles that could impact Dancing on Ice stint
Sir Steve Redgrave will be taking to the ice on tonight's edition of Dancing on Ice and while the five-time Olympic champion will be aiming to impress the judges and public, his health might hold him back.
Speaking ahead of his stint on the show, the former rower revealed that not only did he have Type 2 diabetes, but he also has Dupuytren's contracture, a thickening of the connective tissue in the palms which can lead to fingers contracting. Speaking ahead of the show, the star joked this meant he wouldn't be able to hold his hands his flat.
"I also have Dupuytren's contracture which affects my hands meaning I can't make them flat," he shared. However, he revealed the condition should only affect his performances if he falls. "So if I do fall over, although I'm planning not to it means I may have trouble getting up."
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It's not yet known what causes Dupuytren's contracture and while there is currently no cure for the condition, treatments have been developed for the benign illness.
According to the NHS, the condition doesn't always result in the fingers contracting, but in severe cases, patients can undergo surgery to straighten the affected fingers and remove the tissue causing the problem.
Alongside this, Steve also lives with Type 2 diabetes. He told reporters: "I've been diabetic for almost thirty years so the sensation in my feet isn't as good as what it used to be so navigating my footing on the ice could be a problem."
The athlete was first diagnosed with the condition in 1997, three years before he won his fifth Olympic gold medal. Speaking to Health Awareness about living with diabetes, he said: "The more information you can equip yourself with about diabetes, the better life you can have.
"Your health is largely in your own hands. Get educated and act on what you know."
Steve has been relatively light-hearted about appearing on the show and joked on This Morning: "I must be closest to being one of the oldest, if not the oldest, on the show, but I'm certainly the heaviest that's ever been on the show. 120 kilos, so that's around 20 stone, so I'm not light."
He added: "And I've been asking [for] somebody big that can lift me."
