There’s nothing like taking on one of the biggest challenges of your career to date – just as your fiancée’s about to give birth. Former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas is back on our screens this week, as a contestant on sporty reality show The Games, where he’ll be running, cycling and diving in competition against fellow celebs.
But if you think that sounds tough, spare a thought for his partner of four years, Lucy Mecklenburgh, who’s due to give birth any day now. Ryan, 37 – who is already dad to 13-year-old Scarlett from his relationship with Tina O’Brien, and Roman, two, with former TOWIE star Lucy, 30 – tells heat about choosing between live filming or a live birth…
Is it right that Lucy’s due date is any day now?
She’s due on 22 May, yeah. And this baby is low, let me tell you. She keeps reminding me… [Laughs]. But she’s been super- supportive of me doing this. She can’t wait. She’s going to come down, along with all the family from Manchester, and we’ll make a bit of a weekend of it. My kids will be coming to the show, as well, hopefully. Lucy loves that I’m keeping fit and healthy. And I think she just wants me out of the house [Laughs].
You’ll be up against fellow Corrie star, Colson Smith…
Yeah! I keep saying to Ben Price [who plays Nick Tilsley], “You are going to be there to support me, as well, right?”
Has it been competitive between the other contestants?
Nah. I think we’ll all be very pleased for each other, because we know the work put in. It’s so strange to say, but we’re a team. We’ve worked so closely together every single day, we want the best for each other.
Any injury worries?
It’s a worry for everyone, definitely. We have the twinges and then we start panicking, wondering what it’s going to lead to. It would be an absolute tragedy if we had to lose someone through injury now.
But you enjoyed the training?
Yes. You get the call for this job, you take it. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to be an Olympian! Everything I’ve taken on in my life is a challenge and I’m very privileged to be in this situation.