‘I feel like Eddie the Eagle!’ Geoff Billington recovering after breaking heel

Showjumper Geoff Billington said he “feels like Eddie the Eagle”, having broken his heel at the Liverpool International Horse Show.

Geoff, who joked that he had “forgotten to put on my Superman suit”, was injured as he slid from one of the ramps used by the motorbike display team in the M&S Bank Arena at the end of the show on New Year’s Eve.

He told H&H the five-strong commentary team had been asked to pose for a picture on top of the ramp.

“Natalie, the new addition to the team, was wearing a long dress and high heels, and thought it would be fun to go down the padded ramp, so she slid down,” Geoff told H&H.

“They all started chanting ‘Geoff, Geoff, Geoff’, so I slid down too, and crunched my leg. None of the others followed, funnily enough.

“[Irish showjumper] Anthony Condon’s fiancée Laura Johnson took me to hospital and sat there with me for five hours, and we got back to the hotel at 7am.”

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Geoff, who has since had more X-rays, is not sure how long he will be out of action; he is due to return to hospital on Monday (6 January), when consultants will determine whether he has to stay in plaster or change to a boot, and whether surgery is needed.

“I hope not!” he said. “But that’s what we’ve been up to.

“We got caught up in the moment – it’s like the Derby bank when you look at it. I needed [his 2007 Derby-winning ride] Cassabachus to get down it!

“I might try it on a motorbike next time; it’d be less dangerous.”

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Eleanor Jones

H&H news editor

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.