Eddie '˜the Eagle' Edwards talks about Olympics dreams, banruptcy and why he is teaching his daughters to plaster.

Eddie Edwards is nervous about his up coming one-man theatre tour.

Surprising for a man who has thrown himself off a 90 metre ski jump to be nervous about heading up his ‘audience with..’ style Try Hard UK tour which takes in the City Varieties, Leeds next month.

“I wasn’t sure I would have enough of interest to talk about, but then I had a think about it and realised that I probably did.”

For anyone who watched the Calgary Olympics or even last year’s Hollywood remake of Edwards’ life starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman, they will know he has plenty to talk about.

The world took the Gloucestershire plasterer to their hearts despite him coming last in the 70m and 90m ski jump in the 1988 Olympics.

“I was the David taking on the Goliath of the ski jumping nations,” recalls Edwards. “But even I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I would get from people and the world’s media.”

Edwards dream to compete in the winter Olympics after a school ski trip really does read like a Hollywood movie script.

“I had wanted to take part in the Olympics form being about eight,” recalls the builder’s son. “But it was a school ski trip which really made me realise that it was the Winter Olympics that interested me.”

Initially he was a downhill skier but then turned his attention to ski jumping when he realised that a loophole in the regulation meant he could enter.

“My parents supported me emotionally and financially as much as they could, but we weren’t rich and I would work with my dad as a plasterer to get enough money to travel to Finland to get as many jumps in as I could, sleeping in my van and borrowing equipment. When the money ran out I’d come back, do some more work and then go back out again.”

Despite the huge odds stacked against him, his background, lack of experience, living in a country with little snow and no ski jumps, and the entire establishment against him, Edwards’ resolve never wavered.

“The more people told me it was impossible, the more determined it made me.” Despite coming last, Edwards wanted to continue with his ski jumping career, but much to his frustration they closed the loophole that had allowed him to enter in the first place. Instead he turned to celebrity appearances and trick jumping to earn a living.

But, in 1992, he was declared bankrupt which was down, he says, to a trust fund being mismanaged which lost all his money. His marriage also ended in divorce and Edwards went back to plastering to support his two daughters.

And so when Hollywood came calling 18 years after he sold the rights to his book he jumped at the chance – although most of the money went to his ex-wife he says. He gave his backing to the film and has found renewed fame.

“I thought the film was brillaint,” says Edwards. “Of course they had to make it a but more Hollywood but it was pretty true to life and I am so pleased with how it ended up,”

When not preparing for his forthcoming tour, he spends a lot of time talking to school children about following their dreams if they just try hard enough.

“I am living proof that you can achieve your dreams no matter what,” he says.

And while he urges he his own daughetrs, Ottilie, 12 and Honey 10, to follow their dreams, he also wants to keep them grounded.

“I am teaching them how to plaster. You never know when it might come in useful.”