Eddie's flight of fancy

MICHAEL “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards is a brave man by anyone's standards. He once set a world record for jumping six buses on skis - but he still couldn't bring himself to try it on with German figure skater Katarina Witt (below). His only Winter Olympics appearance, at Calgary in 1988, made him one of Britain's most beloved sporting heroes. Now he tells MEG JORSH about his amazing career...

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IF YOU had to pick a word to describe Eddie the Eagle, it probably wouldn’t be “shy”. Not after he exploded into the public eye, aged 24, at the 1988 Winter Olympics, beaming and punching the air like he'd just won the 90m event instead of coming last.

His thick glasses and infectious enthusiasm made him a global celebrity. And the sport he represented, which sees jumpers reach extreme heights at speeds of 80mph or more, took serious guts.

But behind the scenes, the former plasterer from Cheltenham, Glos, still had his timid side. He speaks fondly of his time in Calgary’s Olympic Village - with just one lingering regret.

"I had a huge crush on Katarina Witt back in the day," he says. “She was gorgeous. But I never went to her room and had a kiss and cuddle with her. I wish I had!”

Eddie was so starstruck by the German figure skater, who won gold for her routine to Bizet's opera Carmen, he didn’t even try to chat her up.

"I was useless back then," he adds. "I would rather go ski jumping than try to chat up a lady. I was that shy."