Dancing on Ice’s Stef Reid has opened up about her fears of skating on her artificial leg ahead of her ice rink debut this weekend.
The 36-year-old athlete appeared on Lorraine from the ITV rehearsal rink to discuss her preparation for the ice skating competition with professional partner Andy Buchanan.
Host Lorraine Kelly asked the long jump Paralympian about the logistics of learning to skate with a prosthetic leg, with Stef saying it was the “hardest thing” she has ever done.
She said: “It was really hard at the beginning, because I had never skated before, so I didn’t really know what I needed and the first few months were such a struggle.
“I didn’t have any confidence putting weight on my artificial side and the thing with skating is you have to be able to balance evenly.”
Stef said that in everyday life she can “cheat a little bit” and rely on her real leg more than her prosthetic, but said this was not an option in the ice rink.
She said: “It was a little bit disheartening initially, but we eventually found a set up that works quite well and it's given me a lot more confidence.”
Lorraine replied from the studio: “It’s tough enough for goodness sake, but it is extraordinary what you’re achieving. Are you feeling more confident on the ice?”
Stef replied: “It changes on a moment by moment basis. Sometimes I’m so excited and can’t wait and other times, I think ‘Stephanie, what were you thinking, this is nuts’.”
Lorraine also asked Stef about her husband, Canadian wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos, who was left paralysed at the age of six in a freak ice skating accident.
She asked: “Was there anything you were worried about when you told him you were doing this?”
Stef admitted that it did cross her mind, noting that ice skating is a “dangerous sport”, but said she hasn’t let that deter her.
She replied: “We all know anything can happen. That’s what you take on when you take on Dancing on Ice.
“Anything in life can be dangerous and I would never want to live constantly worried about the worst thing that can happen. So when I told him, he said ‘Stephanie, you’re nuts’, but he just thinks I’m nuts in general.”
Stef has won multiple medals at international competition level, earning a bronze medal in the 200m at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and silver in the long jump at the 2012 Summer Paralympics - but she said the nature of ice skating means this has been the hardest thing she has undertaken.
She said: “This is a sport that really requires fine motor control over your feet and your ankle and I only have one.
“Combine that with the aesthetic element: I’m not a dancer. I’m not used to performing. When you long jump, nobody cares what you look like, it’s just a matter of the distance, so it’s just been a whole new world.”
*Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV
