Henson: 'Church talked me into 71 Degrees'

Published Tuesday, Sep 7 2010, 11:50 BST | By Alex Fletcher

Gavin Henson has claimed that he was talked into taking part in 71 Degrees North by Charlotte Church.

The Welsh rugby star said that his ex-partner persuaded that him the new ITV1 reality show would be a good idea, even though he wasn't in his best physical shape.

Henson took part in the Norway-based celebrity challenge show before his split from Church earlier this year.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: "I wouldn't have done it if she didn't want me to. But she was the one who pushed me to do it.

"I'd recovered from my injury but I was a little bit too nervous to start training. I was in the worst shape I'd been in. But because of my athletic background, every day I got stronger. It kick-started me off for training again."

The sports star also confessed that he risked his life on the TV show, despite feeling a responsibility to his two children, Ruby and Dexter, back home.

"I pushed myself to the limit on everything and risked my life seven or eight times," he said. "[But] I did feel a responsibility to stay safe for the kids. Reflecting on it afterwards, I was like, 'What am I doing?'. But in competition mode you push yourself to the edge."

71 Degrees North starts on Saturday at 9pm on ITV1.