Former England rugby captain Mike Tindall is gearing up for a new physical challenge. The 36-year-old has signed up for the next series of the Channel 4 reality show The Jump, which will see him embrace the world of winter sports. Mike, married to the Queen's grandaughter Zara Phillips, is set to take part in the second series of the reality show when it returns to TV screens next year.
A Channel 4 spokesman confirmed the news, telling the Mail, "Mike has just signed the contract, the ink is literally drying on the page." On The Jump, celebrity contestants must attempt a series of challenges on the slopes, from bobsledding and skeleton racing to speed skiing and the slalom. According to the newspaper, Mike's gruelling training schedule for the show will begin next week on indoor slopes in the UK. Then in the New Year, he and the other contestants will head to Innsbruck in Austria ahead of the live shows. Cheering him on every step of the way will be his proud wife Zara and their 11-month-old-daughter Mia. A source said, "It's a good time for him to do something different now that he has retired from rugby. He would never have been allowed to do it as a professional sportsman. Mike is a good sport in every sense of the word." The last series of The Jump, which was won by Joe McElderry, was a big hit with viewers. Other celebs who took part in the show included Amy Childs, Anthea Turner, Sir Steve Redgrave and Sinitta.