Olympic rower James Cracknell has revealed his Strictly Come Dancing dreams “nearly came to an end” after he was involved in a road accident while cycling.
James is one of 15 celebrities who have signed up to hit the Strictly dance-floor later this year, alongside soap actors Emma Barton and Catherine Tyldesley, Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.
However, he told his Twitter followers on Wednesday morning that he’d been involved in an altercation that could have cost him his spot on the show, or worse.
“I spent a year riding round Cambridge on a bike and it wasn’t a good day for Jake the Snake, the bike that saw me through Cambridge,” he explained in a Twitter video. “Or me as my Strictly Come Dancing dreams nearly came to an end when I had an altercation with a minicab driver in London.”
James continued: “It was nobody’s fault really. Bit of a bust finger, some road rash on my back, but OK. Good thing was there was no street furniture around for me to fall into, I was also wearing a helmet and I wasn’t listening to music so I could concentrate and I was focused on what was ahead.”
The gold medalist – who was left with a brain injury after an accident on his bike in 2010 – added: “And that’s the important thing to remember cycling, or riding a motorbike or driving around town; it’s OK if you concentrate on what you are doing and are absolutely focused.
“I now have switched my focus [from] riding a bike, and in fact doing anything else, to learning how to dance and, to be honest I’ve got more chance of winning the Tour de France than Strictly Come Dancing. But in for a penny...”
James was left with a fractured skull after a near-fatal road accident in Arizona, while attempting to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York in record time.
His injury left him with epilepsy, as well as changes to his personality, and he has since been a huge advocate for wearing cycling helmets.
Also joining him on Strictly this year will be comedian Chris Ramsey, YouTube vlogger Saffron Barker former footballers David James and Alex Scott.
Check out the full line-up below...