Joe McElderry

Joe McElderry

Joe McElderry is now a contestant on The Jump.

The former 'X Factor' winner has replaced Henry Conway in Channel 4's winter sports competition after the fashion writer was forced to pull out after breaking his wrist, but he first had to earn his place in the competition.

Joe went head-to-head against investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre on the ski jump, travelling 15m to his rival's 11.5m, meaning he will now take part in the remaining challenges on the show.

Henry was injured while practising the skeleton and admits he is upset at having to leave.

He said: "This is the end of 'The Jump for me'. Which is a shame because I've worked so hard.

"The injury is... a little bone just between my thumb and my wrist and I shattered it into seven pieces and it's now fitted together with three titanium pins. So it's a wonderful memory of Innsbruck which will forever remain in me.

"It's really, really frustrating, but I've had the most amazing time."

Meanwhile, Darren Gough has been eliminated from the competition after losing out in the jump to Sir Steve Redgrave after they recorded the lowest times in the skeleton.

Darren travelled 12m on the smallest jump, while his rival opted for the medium jump and recorded a distance of 14.5m.

Speaking afterwards, the former cricketer said: "I was nervous there, I really was. I'm just pleased to get down. To get down was a massive bonus."

And Steve will be hoping not to find himself at the bottom of the leaderboard again after admitting the jump was "horrible".

He said: "It was horrible being up there. My plan was to not do any jumps at all."


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