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Channel 4 upgrades safety as injuries force celebrities out of The Jump

By Patrick Foster The Jump Holby City Made In Chelsea, The Jump is

CHANNEL 4 has been forced to tone down – the winter sports show – after a string of celebrity competitors suffered injuries and were forced to quit the programme.

The broadcaster announced it had launched a safety review after Beth Tweddle, the former Olympic gymnast, who crashed while practising the ski jump, underwent an operation in which she had a piece of hip bone implanted in her spine to help fuse together two cracked vertebrae.

Channel 4 sources said that every event on the programme – including its notorious ski jump – would be reviewed to try to find ways to reduce the risk of casualties among the competitors, with extra safety barriers likely to be brought in.

Last week, a fourth contestant was forced to quit due to injury. Mark-Francis Vandelli, a star of the reality show injured his ankle. Tina Hobley, the

actress, was forced to withdraw the previous week, after dislocating her elbow, while Rebecca Adlington, the Olympic swimmer, also quit the competition following a shoulder injury.

While some viewers have called on Channel 4 to axe the competition, the broadcaster said it would stand by the show.

A spokesman said: “ now in its third series and since launch 46 celebrities have taken part successfully.

“Though it is a new course, the events have been designed to be no more difficult than in previous years and all contributors have undertaken a rigorous training programme to prepare them for the show.”

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2016-02-17T08:00:00.0000000Z

2016-02-17T08:00:00.0000000Z

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Daily Telegraph