Eddie The Eagle Edwards

And what successes! Eddie has held the British Ski Jumping Record (73.5m), a stunt jumping world record – jumping over 10 cars and six buses – and competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics, where he was the first ski jumper to represent Britain (although he came last in both the 70m and 90m events).

One rumour is that Eddie often couldn’t see where he was going because his glasses would frequently steam up! Eddie has also been quoted as saying that he was afraid of jumping.

An early example of a media celebrity who is adored by the public for his less than perfect performances, Eddie Edwards has used that notoriety to forge an impressive career as a TV personality and presenter, run with the Olympic Torch in 2010, publish a book, appear in several advertisements, record some songs – in Finnish – and be a successful motivational speaker.