Nile Wilson admits to struggling on Dancing on Ice due to Raynaud’s disease after debut with Olivia Smart

Nile Wilson has admitted to “struggling” to train for ITV’s Dancing on Ice due to his height and a health condition that affects blood circulation.

The former Olympic gymnast, 27, from Leeds, made his ice skating debut in the figure skating competition on Sunday night after months of training.

Nile, who has one of the fastest growing YouTube channels in the UK, shared his experiences of training in his latest vlog.

In a video titled ‘The TRUTH About Training for Dancing on Ice’, Nile showed his 1.57 million subscribers about learning to figure skate with his skating partner Olivia Smart.

Nile shared his struggles learning to figure skate including how his height and weight are affecting his routines as well as his issues with Raynaud’s disease.

As Nile attempted to lift Olivia, his sister Joanna and manager Luke Sutton were seen looking apprehensive to the manoeuvre and concerned an accident was about to happen.

During the clip Joanna, 24, was seen poking fun at her brother’s height saying: “One element of the show that Nile’s going to struggle with is that his partner probably weighs the same, if not more than him.”

Nile was seen then rehearsing with Olivia off the ice as the couple practised the lifting moves.

The former gymnast revealed that the other male contestants have been mocking him, saying: “I’m probably the smallest man that’s ever been on Dancing on Ice.”

Olivia laughed, adding: “the smallest man I’ve ever skated with.”

The pair also joked that Olivia may even end up lifting Nile during a performance instead of the other way around.

Nile revealed that the issue was something he was “most worried about” appearing on the show with Olivia sharing that the weight difference is “not that much.”

The former bronze medal Olympic winner is an inch shorter than his skating partner with Olivia measuring 5.5ft and Nile coming in at 5.4ft.

After three days of training on the ice, the pair practiced their lifts inside a gymnasium with Nile learning how to lift Olivia safely.

Nile has previously shared that he would like to perform something that has never been tried on Dancing on Ice before.

He demonstrated how he was learning an axel jump on the ice which has never been tried by a celebrity on the figure skating competition before.

Later in the video, Nile also revealed something that was making his ice skating training even harder than for most celebrities.

When talking with his sister Joanna, Nile shared that he suffers from Raynaud’s disease which affects blood circulation.

The condition can impact a person when exposed to cold and symptoms can be treated by keeping warm.

Nile said: “This is one thing I’m going to struggle with on Dancing on Ice. I’ve got Raynaud’s, so I have bad circulation problems in my hands and feet.

“They just keep freezing.”

Raynaud’s symptoms can include pain, numbness, pins and needles and difficulty moving the affected area and can be affected by cold and stress.

Nile can be seen in rehearsals with thick gloves on to try and prevent him suffering whilst he is trying to practice his routines.