He is stepping in as Rufus Hound’s replacement on Dancing On Ice, after the comedian tested positive for coronavirus for the second week running.
And Matt Richardson spoke about his skating debut with pro Vicky Ogden this weekend and how he ended up with a black eye as he appeared on Lorraine on Friday.
The comedian, 29, revealed when he first started training he suffered a nasty fall which led him to being sent home with concussion and a black eye.
Bring it on: Matt Richardson spoke about stepping in as Rufus Hound’s replacement on Dancing On Ice on Lorraine on Friday
Matt told the host: ‘I was injured. It was entirely Christopher Dean’s fault, I think even he knows that deep down. On the masterclass day, I went to skate and I was terrible and they said the problem was my limbs, which isn’t ideal.
‘He gave me a pole to skate with to stop my arms moving and as I was skating with the pole, I caught the front of my blade and went over the front of the pole and because
‘I was holding something I couldn’t put my hands out to stop myself so my face took all of the fall. I ended up being sent home with concussion and a black eye.’
Challenging: The comedian talked about his skating debut with pro Vicky Ogden this weekend and how he ended up with a black eye
Ouch: Matt, 29, revealed at the start of training he suffered a nasty fall which led him to being sent home with concussion and a black eye
Rufus announced in a video message via his Twitter account that he has sadly had to withdraw from the Dancing On Ice 2021 on Wednesday evening.
He had already missed two weeks of the competition after coming in to contact with someone who was carrying the virus and having to self-isolate.
Talking about being his replacement, Matt said: ‘I was nearly at the end of my being a stand-in, and I had got ready to finish so it is a bit of a surprise.
Ouch: ‘I was holding something I couldn’t put my hands out to stop myself so my face took all of the fall. I ended up being sent home with concussion and a black eye,’ Matt said
Bambi on ice: When Lorraine showed a clip of him training and commented that he looked quite ‘Bambi-ish’ on the ice, he said: ‘That was my second day on the ice’
‘I have done exactly the same amount of training as everyone else, I was just doing it off-camera and not doing the show on a Sunday so I started in October, five days a week since then.’
When Lorraine showed a clip of him training and commented that he looked quite ‘Bambi-ish’ on the ice, he said: ‘That was my second day on the ice, this was a few days after the masterclass. I think there are a lot of people that will think I haven’t [improved] so we will see.’
Axed! Rufus announced in a video message via his Twitter account that he has sadly had to withdraw from the Dancing On Ice 2021 on Wednesday evening
Matt added coming in as a replacement suits him better, as he said: ‘I think actually for me it is the best thing that they have bounced me in, I haven’t had much time to think about it, I have just got to go for it without too much trepidation and hopefully it will go alright.
‘Ultimately if it goes horribly, I am a comedian so it was very much on purpose.’
On this weekend’s debut routine, he revealed: ‘The routine is all done. I am yet to see my outfit but I am doing a paso doble so I think I am going to be a sparkly matador.’
It’s hoped that when the full cast reunite for the series’ final, Rufus will be able to be back in the studio with everyone.
Unexpected: Rufus admitted he had been excited to achieve more with Robin with the aim of making their performances ‘as crazy as possible’
An ITV spokeswoman has explained to MailOnline: ‘We have stringent protocols to ensure the health and safety of all our contributors and staff which are routinely monitored and updated to reflect government guidelines.’
‘Following the guidance on isolation, a positive Covid-19 diagnosis for any of our cast at this stage would mean two weeks missed and sadly an end to their time on the show. It has always been the case that no celebrity skater has missed more than one public vote.’
Rufus is not the first star who has had to pull out of the show, with Denise Van Outen, 46, who was skating with pro Matt Evers, 44, leaving after dislocating her shoulder.
She was replaced by gymnast Amy Tinkler, 21, who will skated with pro Joe Johnson last Sunday, leaving some fans to tip her as the show’s winner after her debut.
Lorraine is on weekdays from 9am on ITV, and available on catch up on the ITV Hub.
New rules: The announcement of his departure comes after Dancing On Ice informed all the skaters that if they test positive for Covid-19 they will immediately be axed from the ITV show