How does Dancing on Ice contestant Libby Clegg train?
The Paralympic sprinter has a deteriorating eye condition and is registered blind
Learning to ice skate difficult at the best of times, but for Dancing on Ice star Libby Clegg, it’s a whole new level.
The double Paralympic champion has Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy disease, a deteroriating eye condition which gives her only slight peripheral vision in her left eyeand is registered blind.
But while Dancing on Ice has been challenging for Clegg, the 29-year-old has now explained how she’s been getting to grips with the ice.
“It’s been a learning process,” she told RadioTimes.com and other journalists at the Dancing on Ice press launch. “On the track I run with a guide runner and we’re attached all the time, but basically it’s like learning a different vocabulary to communicate.
“Myself and my partner Mark Hanretty use touch and verbal communication. I’m not as bad as I thought I was going to be, but it’s not as easy as it looks. It’s a lot harder than I thought it’d be, it’s very technical.”
RadioTimes.com understands that Clegg was partnered with Hanretty slightly earlier than the other couples in order to work on their connection and build trust in one another.
“Demonstrating things is difficult,” Hanretty said. “But I’m working on improving my descriptive vocabulary.”
While it is difficult, Clegg is happy to know that she may encourage others to try a new skill, with her co-star Ian ‘H from Steps’ Watkins calling her “inspirational”.
“I’d love for people with disabilities, or just in general, to come out of their comfort zone,” she said. “You set yourself a little goal and just do it.”
Dancing on Ice airs Sundays on ITV
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