This is Hull and East Riding -- Some celebrities fancy the warmth of the Big Brother house, others take a punt at diving on ITV's Splash. But for 12 famous faces, only facing some of the world's hardest winter sports challenges will do. With the Winter Olympics and Paralympics approaching, the plucky competitors will be doing their best to master a range of winter sports and compete against each other in The Jump, starting on Channel 4 this weekend, hosted by Davina McCall. But how will it work and what will these pampered people be asked to do in the name of television? The celebrities have been trained in eight alpine disciplines by some of the world's leading figures, including Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and Amy Williams, who won gold for the Skeleton in the 2010 Winter Olympics. They will compete in a series of events, with the two lowest-scorers at the end of each episode facing "the jump"– an incredibly scary ski jump where you cannot see the drop – in which they will have the option of three sizes, K15, K24 or K40, to keep their place in the contest. Events include the Skeleton, which involves lying, face first, in a small sled and racing down a frozen track; the Giant Slalom, in which competitors will ski between sets of gates widely spaced across a course; Technical Slalom, with more tightly-spaced gates, and the more fun sounding Two Person Bobsleigh. There is also the Ski Cross (a ski course featuring jumps, rollers and banks that have to be skillfully navigated in a race against the clock), Speed Skating, Speed Skiing and, of course, Ski Jumping. All in all, pretty terrifying stuff. Now let's see who's crazy enough to attempt it ... *The Jumpers:* *Amy Childs, 23, reality TV star:* Bubbly beauty therapist Amy Childs came to fame after appearing in The Only Way Is Essex. Chances? Sounds promising; Childs rates her skiing skills as a 6.5 out of 10 and fellow competitor Henry Conway praises her "amazing posture" on the slopes. *Anthea Turner, 53, presenter:* She has tackled Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing On Ice, but those are nothing compared to this "frightening" challenge. Chances? Turner ranks herself as a "slightly nervous resort skier". *Darren Gough, 43, retired cricketer:* Since retiring from cricket, this Ex-England bowler won Strictly Come Dancing and is a regular pundit on radio's talkSPORT. Chances? Definite potential; self-confessed adrenalin junkie Gough rates his chances as 50/50. *Henry Conway, 30, socialite:* Conway, whose father is a former Tory MP, is a regular on the London party circuit and has organised bashes attended by Rihanna and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge before they married. Chances? Possibly one to watch; Conway's been skiing since he was four years old and Amy Childs rates his bobsleighing ability. *Kimberly Wyatt, 31, dancer/singer and TV judge:* Best-known for her incredible dance moves as part of the Pussycat Dolls, since the band split in 2010, Wyatt's become a TV personality and Got To Dance judge. Chances: Pretty good; Melinda Messenger admires Wyatt, saying she has the "best attitude" and "no fear". *Laura Hamilton, 31, TV presenter:* Best known for presenting A Place In The Sun, Hamilton also competed in Dancing On Ice in 2011, finishing second. Chances? Fair; Hamilton's proved she has good stamina and a healthy competitive streak. *Marcus Brigstocke, 40, comedian:* A regular on shows like Have I Got News For You and Live At The Apollo, Brigstocke's also worked as a nightclub podium dancer and on an oil rig during his time. Chances? Hard to tell; Brigstocke thinks he's a "reasonably good skier". *Melinda Messenger, 42, TV presenter:* Since her Page 3 modelling days, Messenger now juggles motherhood with a successful TV presenting career. Chances? Not great; Skiing newbie Messenger thinks The Jump is the "toughest thing" she will ever do. *Nicky Clarke, 55, celebrity hairdresser:* This celebrated coiffeur, who has an OBE, counts Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie among his regular clients. Chances? Might surprise us; Clarke's been skiing for the past 25 years. *Ritchie Neville, 34, singer:* Having shot to fame as one-fifth of boyband 5ive, Neville went on to pursue a food and drink career in Australia before returning to showbiz in last year's The Big Reunion. Chances? Not great; Neville's new to winter sports. *Sinitta, 50, singer:* Famed for her Eighties hit So Macho, Sinitta was recently Simon Cowell's right-hand woman on the "judge's houses" stage of The X Factor. She's also appeared on Dancing On Ice and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Chances? One to watch; Sinitta's "aiming high" and wants to make the top three. *Sir Steve Redgrave, 51, retired Olympic rower:* Sir Steve is best remembered for winning five consecutive gold Olympic medals, rowing his way into the record books. Chances? Must be good; all the competitors rate Sir Steve. *The Jump is on Channel 4 on Sunday at 8pm*
Reported by This is 1 day ago.
This is Hull and East Riding -- Some celebrities fancy the warmth of the Big Brother house, others take a punt at diving on ITV's Splash. But for 12 famous faces, only facing some of the world's hardest winter sports challenges will do. With the Winter Olympics and Paralympics approaching, the plucky competitors will be doing their best to master a range of winter sports and compete against each other in The Jump, starting on Channel 4 this weekend, hosted by Davina McCall. But how will it work and what will these pampered people be asked to do in the name of television? The celebrities have been trained in eight alpine disciplines by some of the world's leading figures, including Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and Amy Williams, who won gold for the Skeleton in the 2010 Winter Olympics. They will compete in a series of events, with the two lowest-scorers at the end of each episode facing "the jump"– an incredibly scary ski jump where you cannot see the drop – in which they will have the option of three sizes, K15, K24 or K40, to keep their place in the contest. Events include the Skeleton, which involves lying, face first, in a small sled and racing down a frozen track; the Giant Slalom, in which competitors will ski between sets of gates widely spaced across a course; Technical Slalom, with more tightly-spaced gates, and the more fun sounding Two Person Bobsleigh. There is also the Ski Cross (a ski course featuring jumps, rollers and banks that have to be skillfully navigated in a race against the clock), Speed Skating, Speed Skiing and, of course, Ski Jumping. All in all, pretty terrifying stuff. Now let's see who's crazy enough to attempt it ... *The Jumpers:* *Amy Childs, 23, reality TV star:* Bubbly beauty therapist Amy Childs came to fame after appearing in The Only Way Is Essex. Chances? Sounds promising; Childs rates her skiing skills as a 6.5 out of 10 and fellow competitor Henry Conway praises her "amazing posture" on the slopes. *Anthea Turner, 53, presenter:* She has tackled Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing On Ice, but those are nothing compared to this "frightening" challenge. Chances? Turner ranks herself as a "slightly nervous resort skier". *Darren Gough, 43, retired cricketer:* Since retiring from cricket, this Ex-England bowler won Strictly Come Dancing and is a regular pundit on radio's talkSPORT. Chances? Definite potential; self-confessed adrenalin junkie Gough rates his chances as 50/50. *Henry Conway, 30, socialite:* Conway, whose father is a former Tory MP, is a regular on the London party circuit and has organised bashes attended by Rihanna and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge before they married. Chances? Possibly one to watch; Conway's been skiing since he was four years old and Amy Childs rates his bobsleighing ability. *Kimberly Wyatt, 31, dancer/singer and TV judge:* Best-known for her incredible dance moves as part of the Pussycat Dolls, since the band split in 2010, Wyatt's become a TV personality and Got To Dance judge. Chances: Pretty good; Melinda Messenger admires Wyatt, saying she has the "best attitude" and "no fear". *Laura Hamilton, 31, TV presenter:* Best known for presenting A Place In The Sun, Hamilton also competed in Dancing On Ice in 2011, finishing second. Chances? Fair; Hamilton's proved she has good stamina and a healthy competitive streak. *Marcus Brigstocke, 40, comedian:* A regular on shows like Have I Got News For You and Live At The Apollo, Brigstocke's also worked as a nightclub podium dancer and on an oil rig during his time. Chances? Hard to tell; Brigstocke thinks he's a "reasonably good skier". *Melinda Messenger, 42, TV presenter:* Since her Page 3 modelling days, Messenger now juggles motherhood with a successful TV presenting career. Chances? Not great; Skiing newbie Messenger thinks The Jump is the "toughest thing" she will ever do. *Nicky Clarke, 55, celebrity hairdresser:* This celebrated coiffeur, who has an OBE, counts Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie among his regular clients. Chances? Might surprise us; Clarke's been skiing for the past 25 years. *Ritchie Neville, 34, singer:* Having shot to fame as one-fifth of boyband 5ive, Neville went on to pursue a food and drink career in Australia before returning to showbiz in last year's The Big Reunion. Chances? Not great; Neville's new to winter sports. *Sinitta, 50, singer:* Famed for her Eighties hit So Macho, Sinitta was recently Simon Cowell's right-hand woman on the "judge's houses" stage of The X Factor. She's also appeared on Dancing On Ice and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Chances? One to watch; Sinitta's "aiming high" and wants to make the top three. *Sir Steve Redgrave, 51, retired Olympic rower:* Sir Steve is best remembered for winning five consecutive gold Olympic medals, rowing his way into the record books. Chances? Must be good; all the competitors rate Sir Steve. *The Jump is on Channel 4 on Sunday at 8pm*
Reported by This is 1 day ago.