Who is Olympic gold medalist Greg Rutherford?
GREG RUTHERFORD has made it to the final of the 2024 series of Dancing On Ice with partner Vanessa James.
The Olympian will compete against Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer, Ryan Thomas and Amani Fancy, and Adele Roberts and Mark Hanretty at the series finale on March 10.
Greg Rutherford has enjoyed huge success on Dancing on Ice 2024Brett D. Cove/ Splash News
Who is Greg Rutherford and what’s his net worth?
Gregory James Rutherford is a retired British track and field athlete who specialises in long jump.
He was born on November 17, 1986, and was raised in Milton Keynes.
Greg is one of three children and comes from a very sporty lineage.
His grandfather and great-grandfather both played football for Arsenal, and Greg himself even had trials for Aston Villa before turning his attention to athletics.
In 2005 Greg became the youngest ever winner of the long jump event at the AAA Championships and has since gone on to have a hugely successful career.
He won the gold medal for Team GB on Super Saturday at the London 2012 Olympics and won at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2014 and 2016 European Athletics Championships, and the 2015 World Athletics Championships.
Greg has a reported net worth of £3.7million as of March 2024.
In 2017 the sportsman revealed how he was left “feeling sick” after finding out his former manager cheated him out of £48,000 to fuel a gambling addiction.
Greg was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to athletics.
He is an avid supporter of Manchester United football team.
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Who is Greg Rutherford’s fiancée and how many children do they have?
Rutherford and his partner Susie Verrill share three children together – two sons and one daughter.
The couple’s first son, Milo, was born in 2014 and his little brother, Rex, followed in 2017.
Greg and Susie’s daughter Daphne was born in 2021.
Greg proposed to his long-term partner in May 2019.
Susie used to work as a social media and features editor for Look magazine and now runs blog mymiloandme.com.
As of March 2024 the pair are yet to tie the knot.
On May 20, 2023, Greg revealed that the pair had been due to wed that day.
He took to Instagram to explain that they had cancelled their nuptials following the loss of “someone so close” and were rearranging them for a different date.
Alongside a picture of Susie on the day they got engaged Greg wrote: “Today was meant to be our wedding day…”
“Due to the loss of someone so close and important we postponed the big day – In typical fashion the UK weather is going to be perfect, we’re a bit miffed.”
He added: “But we get to plan it all again and hopefully really put together exactly what we want. @susiejverrill I know today will be frustrating, but I love you so much and we’ll have an even better wedding when we finally manage to do it.”
What TV shows has Greg Rutherford done?
Greg has appeared on several reality TV shows since being propelled to fame at the 2012 Olympics.
In 2016 he was a contestant on BBC‘s Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with Natalie Lowe.
The duo ended up coming in sixth place in the ballroom competition, with Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton ultimately winning the series.
In 2019 Rutherford won the 14th series of Celebrity MasterChef.
He beat fellow competitors Neil Ruddock and Vicky Pattison on the show, which is hosted by John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
Then, in October 2023, Greg was confirmed as a contestant on the 2024 series of Dancing On Ice.
It was later announced that he had been partnered up with Vanessa James, a new addition to the professional skater line-up.
Ahead of his debut on the series, the athlete told fans he was aiming to perform a trick that’s “never been done before” on the show.
He said: “My kids love dancing around so hopefully they are going to enjoy watching me dance with blades on my feet!
“I think this is going to be a really different experience but one that will be quite exciting.
“I like a challenge and I needed a reason to go out and do stuff again and here we are.
“I want to perform something that’s never been done before, that’s my aim.
“I’ll go 100,000% on this. I’ll try hard, I’m in no way expecting to be good but I will work as hard as I can.”
Greg suffered several injuries on the show after pulling his groin during training and gaining several bruises while practising his never-before-seen double twist on ice.
But he battled through to make it to the series finale, which will air on ITV on Mother’s Day.
I think this is going to be a really different experience but one that will be quite exciting… I like a challenge and I needed a reason to go out and do stuff again and here we are.
Greg Rutherford on Dancing On Ice
Why did Greg Rutherford retire and what’s his long-jump record?
In June 2018 Greg announced he was retiring from professional athletics at the end of the season.
Speaking to the Guardian, Rutherford said: “At times I am in so much pain I can’t even sit on the floor and play with my two kids.
“I still feel I am fast. I still feel as if I am super strong. But whenever I try to sprint or jump I have to take three days off because I am limping so much. In the end, it wears you down.”
As of January 2024, Rutherford is the current British record holder for the long jump, both outdoors and indoors, with his personal bests of 8.51 m (outdoors) and 8.26 m (indoors).
