The Jump, interviews with the competitors: The women

26 January 2015

 

NAME: ASHLEY ‘AIRBORNE’ ROBERTS

AGE: 33

FROM: PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA

FAMOUS FOR: BEING A MEMBER OF AMERICAN GIRL GROUP THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS, WITH KILLER DANCE MOVES

 

Why did you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

When they originally asked me, I said: “No. I’m not into winter sports, I’m not into that snow stuff, I’m a desert girl, I like the sunshine.” Then they came back and asked again, and I took a second. I’m a pretty adventurous person – I’ve been sky diving, I’ve swum with sharks, I’ve had trapeze lessons, I’ve hiked to Machu Picchu. And I thought “This could be an adventure that opens up my eyes to something I’ve never done before.” So I said yes.

 

Did you have any winter sport experience before this?

When I was a little kid, my parents took me to Telluride, Colorado, and we had a little family skiing vacation there. I remember being really cold, and crying because my fingers and toes were so cold. It’s been a while, and I didn’t really enjoy it as a kid. But I love being outside, and the Alps look so gorgeous, I’m really going to enjoy myself. Kim [Kimberley Wyatt] did it last year, so maybe we’ll go skiing together.

 

What events are you really looking forward to, and what are you dreading?

The skeleton and I are not going to be good friends. Face down, staring at an icy rollercoaster ride – I’m pretty nervous about that. It scares the bejesus out of me. And the bobsleigh looks fast and crazy. But learning to ski from professionals, to me is pretty badass, and I’ve always wanted to snowboard, but I didn’t want to be the one having to learn and going down on my backside while all my friends were doing it really well. So if I can walk away from this having been taught by pros, that’s pretty cool.

 

Do you have a competitive nature? Are you going out to win this?

I am competitive when it comes to something I’m passionate about. Growing up dancing, I competed my whole life, and I was very disciplined and very focused. I definitely think that will apply to this, although I’m nervous about how strong the competition looks. We’ve got Olympic athletes, skiers, rugby players and so on. I’m basically going to do my best, learn my skills and be my own competition.

 

Have you spoken to anyone who took part in last year’s show? I’m guessing, maybe, Kimberley?

Totally! I called her up immediately. She told me she’d faced a lot of her fears and it was really crazy, but she enjoyed it. I think I’ll be calling and texting her throughout – it’s so great for me to know someone who’s been through this, who I love and trust.

 

Do you know any of the others taking part this year?

I know Joey – we’ve worked together before. He’s come on Saturday Night Takeaway, and we’ve done different shoots and stuff before. JB I met at Thanksgiving, because we all got together, me, Kim and him and the families. So I met him then. But I think it looks like a really great bunch of people. .

 

How do you think you’ll feel standing at the top of the ramp before doing The Jump for the first time?

My heart’s going to be pounding. I’ll just try and stay focused, and know that I’ve trained enough for it. I’ll need to just trust my body and hope for the best. There will be real pressure – it’s at night, under lights, with an audience, but my girl did it last year and came out of it afterwards with all limbs intact, so I’ll hope to do the same.

 

How much do you think your dance training has helped you out with all of this?

I think the self-awareness might be an advantage – knowing my body and what it’s capable of. But in other ways I’m coming into this behind some of the others who have skied more or had further training.

 

 

NAME: CHLOE ‘THE METEOR’ MADELEY

AGE: 27

FROM: LONDON, UK

FAMOUS FOR: BEING A FITNESS EXPERT AND PERSONAL TRAINER

 

What was it that made you want to take part in The Jump?

I’ve been out of TV for a while – I went off it a bit, to be honest. I was getting offered a lot of reality shows, and I didn’t really want to go down that route. But this is the best reality show you could possibly be offered. You are essentially being paid to come to Austria, learn how to bobsleigh, learn how to skeleton, learn how to ski, learn how to snowboard. And I’m really physically active and a massive adrenaline junkie, so for me it’s a dream come true to do this. It’s incredible.

 

How much experience do you have with winter sports?

None! I’m an adrenaline junkie, and I’ve done a lot of adrenaline-based sports, but I’ve never done any winter sports. I’m the only one of my friends who can’t ski. I’d never even looked at a pair of skis. I didn’t even realise the boots were separate. I thought it was one whole thing. I’d never really even seen a mountain. I mean, kind of from a distance in New Zealand, but not really. I’m a complete novice, but it’s right up my street. It’s so enjoyable.

 

What events are you particularly looking forward to, and what are you dreading?

My favourite event is the skeleton, because it’s so fast. It’s so much fun. In terms of the training, I love it all, but I’m quite intimidated and overwhelmed about the prospect of competing.

 

Are you a competitive person, then?

I’ve tried desperately to be competitive since I’ve been here, because I look back on Dancing on Ice and think “If only I’d been more competitive, maybe I could have done better. Maybe I could have won.” So I was determined to be competitive this time, but I actually think I do a lot better when I just focus on having fun.

 

Who do you think will be the strongest competitors?

Mike Tindall. I think he’ll do really well. He’s got speed, power, strength from his rugby, he’s also really used to performing under pressure.

 

Have you spoken to anyone from The Jump last year?

No, I didn’t, but I know Henry Conway quite well. I know that he had such a great time, and I know how gutted he was when he got injured – really, genuinely gutted. So when I saw that, I realised how much he must have loved it. So when they asked me to come, I connected the dots in my brain and thought “Well, they had such a great time last year”. It was a bit of a no-brainer, really.

 

Do you know any of this year’s contestants?

I’ve met a few of them, but I don’t really know any of them. But it looks like a really lovely group of people, I’m looking forward to it.

 

How do you think you’ll feel when you’re standing on top of the ramp about to jump for the first time?

I don’t think I react well when I think about the pressure and the cameras and the competition, so what I’m going to try and do is tune everything out and just focus on what I need to do to land the jump.

 

 

What do your folks think about you doing this?

I think initially they were really in favour of it. They were just like “Go, have fun, it’s right up your street, you’ll love it,” because they know how much I love this sort of thing. But I think they then started to think about the possibility of my getting injured – which happened quite a bit on the show last year – and now I think they’re a little bit more worried.

 

Will they come out to see any of it?

Yes. My mum and dad will be out for the live shows, whooping and hollering.

 

Do you think they’ll be watching through their fingers?

Definitely. I’ve tried to show them videos of me bungee jumping and sky diving and white water rafting, and they’ll watch the first few seconds and then they’ll make me turn it off. So I don’t know if they’ll actually be watching, but they’ll be making noise, for sure.

NAME: HEATHER ‘THE HURRICANE’ MILLS

AGE: 47

FROM: WASHINGTON, TYNE AND WEAR, UK

FAMOUS FOR: BEING A PHILANTHROPIST, CAMPAIGNER AND ACTIVIST

 

What was it that made you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

I got asked last year, but I was training for the Paralympics, so there was no way I could do something that would risk injury. And then, when I heard it involved a ski jump, I thought “Absolutely no way – that’s insane.” I thought it would be like 100m jumps, and I didn’t even know if my leg would stay in the air that long. When you jump in the air, the weight of the prosthetic is that much heavier than your own leg, so if you stay in the air for too long you start to turn. I have a friend, he was a World Champion in able bodied ski jumping, and he had a crash, lost his leg, and went into disabled ski racing, and he said the difference between skiing before the accident and after it is day and night.

 

How much experience do you have skiing?

Holiday skiing for a couple of days and then four years. But that’s been four years of full-on skiing.

 

What events are you most looking forward to, and what are you dreading?

I’m dreading being on a ski cross with other skiers who don’t know what they’re doing. That’s what freaks me out. And I’m looking forward to trying bobsleigh and skeleton. I love speed. But I’m not a runner, so I’m trying to swap some legs around to get a leg that I can run on to get a good start. I’m not looking forward to snowboarding. And I’m really excited to see if I can ski jump, because no amputee , I know of, has.

 

Are you something of an adrenaline junkie?

Yes, I love it. I’m highly competitive with myself – I never focus on what anyone else is doing. I focus on what I’m doing, what I can do with my leg, what’s possible. I love watching the whole dynamics and physiology of the body and what it can actually do. I will absolutely push myself to the limit. My advantages are that I’m a mountain girl.

 

So in terms of being competitive with the others…

It’s just with myself. I’m very competitive with myself. As long as I know I’m doing my best, then I‘m happy.

 

Do you have any hunches who your main opponents are going to be?

No idea. Maybe Jon-Allan Butterworth, because he’ll be so determined and focussed. Look at Sir Steve Redgrave, and how devastated he was last year. I was like “For God’s sake, you won all of those gold medals, it’s just a TV show!” But that just shows how competitive he was.  I loved how into the whole thing he got, and how emotional he got. I won’t take it that seriously, I don’t think. I’ve experienced too much in my life, I’ve got a sense of perspective.

 

Did you speak to anyone from last year’s series?

I called Sinitta up and asked her what the show was like, what she thought. And she said it was brilliant, it was one of the best experiences she’s ever had. She said after that she felt like she could jump off anything. Even the Empire State Building.

 

How do you think you’ll feel when you’re standing at the top of that ramp for the first time?

I won’t be bothered. As long as I know my leg can do something, I’m fine.

 

What kind of injuries have you had over the last few years of skiing?

Name every bone in my body – it’s been broken. When you injure yourself you either become braver and more tenacious or you give up. At one point, I may go “That’s too many injuries.” But most of the top level ski racers have had major injuries. It’s part and parcel of it. This is the first season I haven’t had an injury. Normally I’m in hospital every two months. I’ve broken most of my body. But this last season has been brilliant.

 

Knowing the possibility of injury, you have your eyes more open that the others as to what can happen. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?

Definitely an advantage, because I know what my capabilities are. If there’s a bunch of people on the ski cross next to me, if I’m not at the front then I will literally stay at the back, and just do the jump. That would be safer. Because I’m not going to get myself into a situation where someone who’s not a brilliant skier’s going over my skis, and I’m tumbling and ripping my knee out with the prosthetic leg. So I’ll be sensible, and I’ll judge whether I’m going to go full gas or stay at the back and risk the jump.

 

When you do stuff like this, do you feel like you’re being a role model for other amputees?

I know I am. I had to come to terms with that 25 years ago. I have thousands and thousands of amputees around the world who follow what I do. We’ve got thousands of people on the forum, so if someone loses a leg I’ll counsel them, on the basis they then have to counsel someone else who lives near then. So now we’ve got this network across the world.

NAME: JODIE ‘CANNONBALL’ KIDD

AGE: 36

FROM: SURREY, UK

FAMOUS FOR: BEING A MODEL AND TV PRESENTER

 

Why did you decide to take part in The Jump?

Who gets, in their lifetime, to be taught how to do these amazing disciplines that we’ve all seen on TV, by Olympians and the best ski trainers? It is bonkers, but who gets to have Amy Williams teach them how to do Skeleton? Who gets some of the best bobsleigh trainers to teach you how to do bobsleigh? I’m 36, and I’m being taught snowboarding by the coolest, best teachers in the world. How lucky to be able to go away and spend a month learning these amazing new things, with a really wonderful bunch of people. What an experience.

 

You’ve come in slightly later than the others. How far behind are you?

Some of them were training in November. I turned up in mid-January. Coming off the back of a very wonderful, lazy, indulgent Christmas and New Year. So fitness is key, and I’m not fit. It is wonderful watching your Mike Tindall’s and Lou Hazel’s, both brilliant athletes who are super fit, but it’s making me feel rather nervous.

 

How much experience of winter sports do you have?

I’ve skied before. It was family skiing – get up, couple of runs, very long lunch, little ski down. Never really had lessons, so I get down, but I don’t look pretty, that’s for sure. So I’m now being taught how to do proper racing slalom, and it’s just awesome. I’ll be able to ski properly now, hopefully.

 

Are there any particular events you’re really looking forward to, or really dreading?

Skeleton is not the most pleasant experience I’ve had in my life, I must say. But once you’ve done it, you’re like “Wow! What the hell just happened?” I’m looking forward to the skiing events, because at least I’ve skied before. I’m very much on the back foot already, because I’ve missed so much training. Coming into this so late has really pushed my boundaries – and I’m pretty tough. I race cars and put myself into extreme situations, and this is certainly testing me, definitely.

 

Are you competitive?

I am when I’m good at something. There’s no point in being competitive when you’ve got two left feet. When I was doing strictly, I couldn’t dance, so there wasn’t any point in my being competitive with everyone else, I just had to keep going. That’s very much what I’m doing here. Because I’ve got no expectations, because of my lack of training, I really am just enjoying it. If I’m good at something I will try my hardest, and hopefully give them a run for their money, but the fitness is not there and the preparation is not there, so I’m just going in for the whole bonkers experience.

 

Who do you think your strongest opponents will be?

Oh, Louise Hazel, heptathlete, Olympian – amazing. Heather Mills, also a fabulous skier and athlete – her head is in the right place, she’s focused, she’s very determined. Chloe Madeley, a nutritionist and health expert – she’s in such good shape. Louie Spence is also incredibly fit, JB Gill is in really good shape and is incredibly good at everything he does. And Mike Tindall, who’s going to win it by miles, because he’s very capable, super-fit, mentally strong, physically strong. And then you’ve got Tuffers and Dom, who are more likely to win the après ski competition, which I would much prefer to be part of.

 

Did you know any of this year’s contestants before you joined?

I knew Mikey a little bit. I knew JB from MasterChef. I knew Lady V, she’s a friend of my sister, I knew Tuffers from doing A Question of Sport. I knew it was a good group of people.

 

 

 

Is there anyone you’re especially keen to beat?

Right now, everyone’s just holding each other’s hands and getting through the training. When we get to the live shows, and everyone’s got a bit more confidence, I’m sure it’ll get more competitive, but right now, everyone’s just really supporting each other and helping each other. Little Lou Thompson, from Made in Chelsea, is just the most fabulous skier. She’s going to thrash everyone at skiing, she’s leagues and leagues and leagues in front of everyone. We can’t be competitive against an Olympian, a professional rugby player, or someone who’s skied their whole life. There’s only a certain amount of competitiveness you can do. It’s probably more internal than anything. With yourself.

 

How do you think you’ll feel when you’re up at the top of the ramp for the first time, preparing to jump?

Hideous. That’s the one thing I’m not at all excited about. I’ve just got to get on with it and do it. But I’ve not jumped yet – the others have been jumping for a couple of weeks. Underdog isn’t the word!

 

You’re quite sporty – you’ve done rallies and horse riding, both of which are quite dangerous. How does this compare, in terms of fear?

This is worse than anything I’ve ever done. It’s unforgettable and exciting, but also terrifying.

 

NAME: ‘LIGHT-SPEED’ LADY VICTORIA HERVEY

AGE: 38

FROM: SUFFOLK, UK ORIGINALLY – LONG TIME LA RESIDENT

BEST KNOWN AS: MODEL AND SOCIALITE

 

What was it that made you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

I’ve skied my whole life, it’s something that I’m pretty confident doing. I think, with any of these sorts of shows, why not do it, it’s something I know I’m good at. I would never have signed on for something like this if I couldn’t ski.

 

What about the other sports?

Obviously I’ve never tried bobsleigh, but I’ve always wanted to do it. I’ve always thought those race suits look amazing! So when the opportunity came around, I thought “I definitely want to do it.”

 

Are you a bit of an adrenaline junkie?

Totally. I like anything fast. Anything with speed.

 

What events are you most looking forward to, and what are you dreading?

There’s a new thing on the list, the ‘air drop’. I’m not sure what that is, so I’m nervous about that. But I’m really looking forward to the slalom, the skiing stuff. I know I can do that.

 

Have you spoken to anyone who did The Jump last year?

No, I haven’t. But I heard there were a lot of accidents. When I researched it, I was really struck by that. So that’ll be interesting. I feel like the skiers last year weren’t that good. Or some of them, if they were good, were older, and over-confident for their age, and they hurt themselves. For me, I know I’m a good skier, but I need to make sure that I don’t take too many risks, that I wouldn’t take if wasn’t a good skier.

 

How do you think you’ll feel when actually faced with doing the jump for the first time?

I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to do one of those jumps, though – I’ve always loved jumping.

 

And you have your new puppy, D’Artagnan, here with you. Are you going to take him out to Austria?

Yeah, he’s coming, definitely. I think it’ll give me something to take the stress off thinking about everything else. I’ll be busy thinking about him, so I’ll be fine. But it’s all a bit confusing for him. A week ago he was on the beach!

 

NAME: LOUISE ‘LIGHTNING’ HAZEL

AGE: 29

FROM: LONDON, UK

BEST KNOWN AS: GOLD MEDAL WINNING HEPTATHLETE AT 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

 

What made you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

I’m a heptathlete, aren’t I? Jack of all trades, master of none! I thought I might as well add another one to the mix. I thought the challenge of trying out another sport was really appealing. I thought it would be amazing to see how I fare in unfamiliar territory.

 

Have you got any experience of winter sports?

I’ve been skiing before. Just not very well. And it was a long time ago. Since then, obviously, I’ve gone on to compete at major championships, so I’ve got a lot more strength and speed in my body.

 

Presumably you weren’t able to ski when you were an athlete?

It was pretty much banned. Any extreme sport was a bit of a no-no for the past ten or 15 years, so I kind of feel I’ve been wrapped in bubble wrap for too long. I want to go out there and experience a few things, and I thought this was a great way to start.

 

Are there any events you’re particularly looking forward to or dreading?

I’m all over the skeleton. I’ve spoken to a few people, who have gone “Oh my God, that’s the one that scares me the most, going head-first down a big chute.” I’m like “Bring it on.” I’m a bit of and adrenaline junkie and a speed freak. What am I not looking forward to? I’ve never snowboarded before, I don’t know how I’m going to get on with that. I guess snowboarding is probably the one where I’ll be exposed, weakness-wise.

 

As an athlete, you must have a competitive nature. Are you going into this to win it?

No! Unless it gets really juicy. I think, inevitably, there’s a part of me that’s a competitive animal. But I just want to enjoy this. Often the problem with being an athlete and being competitive is it spoils the fun. Inevitably, the green –eyed monster, the Hulk, will eventually come out, and I guess that will add to the entertainment.

 

How do you think you’ll feel standing at the top of The Jump for the first time?

I’m hoping I can avoid it. That’s my plan. I’m going to try and use my experience as an athlete to master all the events to a decent enough standard to avoid the jump. Some people say “As long as you’re good at the jump, you won’t be eliminated.” I’m going to spread myself evenly across the event to see if I can get that to pay off.

 

NAME: LOUISE ‘HIGH FLYER’ THOMPSON

AGE: 24

FROM: CHELSEA, LONDON, UK

BEST KNOWN AS: STAR OF MADE IN CHELSEA

 

What was it that made you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

I was a very keen skier as a child. I’ve been so busy the last three or four years I haven’t actually had a proper chance to get any skiing in. So this is my dream experience – six weeks of skiing and being in the snow. I love all snowbound activities. And the freezing cold, and the cool outfits – for me, it’s just perfect.

 

Are you competitive?

I can be quite competitive, and I really don’t want to come last. But I don’t think I’m going to be the worst. My main fear is all the live stuff, though. The Jump, with everyone cheering you on. It’s the embarrassment I’m worried about, the idea of do many people seeing it. I don’t mind going down black runs, I don’t mind going over jumps, I don’t mind falling over. It’s just the fact that it’s televised that’s petrifying.

 

Are there any that you’re particularly looking forward to, or are slightly less keen on?

I’m really looking forward to slalom. There’s one called snow cross that sounds really weird. I’m excited to try snowboarding – I’ve never tried it. Boarding I think is very different, but at least I’ve got balance, and I skateboard a bit. What’s the most nerve-racking? The skeleton’s the one where you lie flat on what looks like a school dinner tray, and go head first down the track. I don’t even know how that works!

 

How do you think you’ll feel when you’re faced with the actual jump itself?

It’s really difficult to know, because I don’t think you can fathom the scale of the jump. You can’t tell how high it is on TV. I think, with practise, I’ll be fine. But I’ve never done anything like that before. How do you stop at the bottom? I’ll probably just fall over. The whole thing’s going to be quite comical. I’ve just got to try and not take it too seriously.

 

Have you skied with any of the Chelsea lot before?

No, I don’t think so. I did most of my skiing before. They filmed a couple of ski trips on Made in Chelsea, but I was always studying in Edinburgh, so I didn’t get to go on them. I went to boarding school with Rosie [Fortescue], but I don’t think I ever skied with her. I went out with Spencer, and obviously he’s a keen snowboarder, and we always planned trips to go skiing together, but never got around to it. The same goes for Alec, my current boyfriend.

 

Is he going to come out and support you?

Hopefully. He snowboards. I’ve kind of bigged myself up to him quite a lot, so I’ve got a lot to live up to.

 

 

NAME: STACEY ‘SUPERSONIC’ SOLOMON

AGE: 25

FROM: DAGENHAM, LONDON, UK

BEST KNOW AS: SINGER AND TV PERSONALITY

 

What was it that made you say yes to taking part in The Jump?

Just the thought of going to an amazing ski resort, learning properly how to do all these activities, it just looked like loads of fun, to be honest with you. Like a really fun holiday.

 

Have you got any experience of winter sports?

I have skied. When I was a kid I went with my family. But I’m no professional skier!

 

Are there any events that you’re particularly looking forward to or dreading?

I’m looking forward to all of them in a weird way. I’m looking forward to the adrenaline rush. I’m probably most scared of the skeleton bobsleigh. But, at the same time, it’s an excited fear, if that makes sense.

 

After your X Factor experiences, you must be quite good at dealing with nerves, though.

The thing is, it’s a completely different type of nerves. With the X Factor, I had to do something that I’m really passionate about already, that I really care about. I was so worried about whether I’d be any good. Whereas this time, I feel a little bit less pressure. I’m just going to try my hardest. If I’m good, great. If I’m not, well, I wasn’t going to be an Olympic skiing champion anyway.

 

Are you competitive?

I try really, really hard. For me, it’s not about beating everybody else. For me it’s about how I’d love to get better. I’d really love to learn how to properly ski, and be good at it. I’m more competitive with myself than I am with anybody else.

 

How do you think you’ll feel when you’re faced with doing the jump for the first time?

It’s funny, even training at the little training slope, there’s these tiny, tiny – let me just reiterate – little lumps in the snow. And even just going over those. You feel yourself losing balance and it’s kind of scary sometimes. I don’t know how I’m going to be going on a proper jump! Oh God!

 

Joe McElderry went and won the whole thing last year…

Yeah, he did fantastic!

 

… Do you feel there’s pressure to keep the pride of the X Factor at the top of the board?

No, that doesn’t bother me at all. The pressure I put on myself is just about me. I hate being bad at things. I get really disappointed if I don’t give it a go and push myself as far as possible.