Dancing On Ice’s Eddie the Eagle recalls sleeping in his car and eating from bins ahead of Winter Olympics as he prepares to draw on tough emotions for his Personal Skate

Dancing On Ice’s Eddie the Eagle has spoken of the sheer determination he used to qualify for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics ahead of his personal skate at this weekend’s ITV competition.

The ski jumper, 60, became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in the sport at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, in 1988.

Unfortunately, the athlete finished last in the Normal Hill and Large Hill events, but insists he was lucky to take part as he was repeatedly told he did not have the talent or ability to compete at such a level.

However, he held the British ski jumping record from 1988 to 2001. He also participated in amateur sprint skiing, running at 106.4 mph.

Eddie, whose real name is Michael Edwards, has linked his personal skate, which he will do on Sunday, to his Olympic experience, recalling how he lived in a car and ate food from containers as he tried to qualify for the competition.

He told MailOnline: “I’m skating with Van Halen – Jump.” Training for the Calgary Winter Olympics, he would always listen to that song and just when the song said “jump,” he would take this path and go flying through the air.

“I had to sleep in the back of my car. I took food out of the bins and I had a lot of people help me because they could see that I was trying to do something and go somewhere and I finally managed to qualify for Calgary.

‘Representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games was simply incredible. I knew it was going to be the last. Getting to the Calgary Olympics was my gold medal. I just wanted to jump as far as I could and enjoy the whole experience.

‘The closing ceremony was incredible. The Olympic president stood up to deliver his closing speech and said, “some of you have even flown like an eagle.” I stood up and waved and the crowd went crazy.

“It just goes to show that if you work hard you can achieve anything.” The journey of Dancing on Ice is like that for me too. I didn’t set out to inspire people, but I want to continue that. This performance is for all of you. This is for you.’

Eddie was a late joiner to this year’s Dancing On Ice series, having been recruited to replace Gogglebox star Stephen Lustig-Webb, who was forced to quit due to a broken ankle.

He is paired with professional figure skater Vicky Ogden, but his original partner Tippy Packard was forced to retire due to injury.

In his opening VT, while reflecting on the challenge, he said, “We hope that from now on we can spend a lot more time on the ice and surprise everyone at that first dance.”

Eddie has proven to be a hit with viewers so far, with fans of the show calling him their winner during a recent episode.

Before his routine, Eddie descended from the rafters onto the enormous eagle that was suspended from metal cables.

The moment impressed viewers, and many took to social media to express their delight at what they had seen.

One person wrote on Twitter: ‘When he fell on that Eagle, all I could think was here we go, here’s the joke contestant. I should have known better. Dude, it’s a bit of a surprise.

While someone else shared: “Eddie the Eagle surprised me so much I didn’t expect him to be so good.”

‘Eddie The Eagle is my new favorite! “What a performance!” declared someone else.

While another person insisted: “Eddie the Eagle will win, well done.”

“Ricky Norwood deserved a better score from Oti, looks like he’s improved a lot since day 1. In other news, Eddie The Eagle HAS to win, what a legend,” another fan of the show wrote.

And someone else posted: ‘Eddie the eagle was just magnificent. Way to go, Eddie!’

Another member of the audience at home commented: ‘Unexpected excellence of the night: Eddie the Eagle was brilliant!’

While someone else praised: ‘Eddie “The Eagle” surprised me I DIDN’T expect him to be this good.’

Dancing On Ice continues on Sunday 18 February at 6.20pm on ITV1 and ITVX.