WOUNDED war hero Johnson Beharry
said Dancing on Ice has put his life back on track – easing his flashbacks and
even his pain.
The Victoria Cross winner, 31,
added the concentration and physical fitness the show requires has had a
stunning effect on his recovery.
He
told TV Biz last night: "The competition has not only helped me physically
but mentally as well.
"It has allowed me to
re-programme my brain and has allowed me to get stronger, which is particularly
helping with my spinal injuries.
"The pain will never go away,
but the training has really helped strengthen my core muscles, which means my
back pain has lessened."
Johnson
suffered serious spinal and brain injuries when a rocket-propelled grenade
smashed into his patrol in Iraq.
He said: "I have real problems
with my legs, as the signal from my brain is not there, but I am getting muscle
memory and they are remembering what to do more.
"I have more feeling in them
now and I am hoping it will come back 100 per cent.
"Even when I am not in the
competition any more, I will still go skating as it has helped me so
much." He is even sleeping properly for the first time since the attacks
because he is so exhausted from rehearsals.
For years his nights have been
haunted by flashbacks to the ambush, which happened during night time in April
2004.
They often get worse in the run-up
to the anniversary, but he said: "It is happening less as I am getting
more sleep than normal because my body is so tired from all the training.
Before the show I never used to sleep but I am getting a lot more now. I am
hoping I will have less to deal with this year."
The Grenada-born soldier is
desperately hoping he is not booted off the ITV1 series tomorrow night –
despite being the bookmakers favourite to go.
His skating partner Jodeyne
Higgins, 36, is also crossing her fingers, as she has seen first-hand how the
programme has transformed him.
She said: "The overall
experience has been life-changing for him. He has found something he loves to
do in skating and he has said he will carry it on beyond the competition.
"It has helped him physically
and mentally and he has got a lot stronger.
"He is 100 per cent different
to when I first met him. He is more confident in himself and believes that life
will be OK.
"I don't think his memories of
what happened will ever go away but he is finding new ways to deal with things.
"He said he felt great after
last Sunday as everything we had been working towards came together.
"For
the first time he is completely comfortable with what he is doing out
there."
Whatever happens in the show,
Johnson hopes the friends he has made will help him in his next venture –
setting up a foundation to help injured war veterans.
He said: "I also want to help
homeless people.
"It would be nice to get
people in the show involved in the future."
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