'˜The Eagle' soaring to a stage show landing

Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, whose exploits as an Olympic ski jumper earned him cult status around the world, will be telling his amazing life story to fans at the city’s Charter Theatre on June 10.

The Guild Hall complex leapt at the chance to book the unlikeliest of sporting heroes, whose life since the 1988 Calgary Winter Games has been filled with the sort of spectacular highs and lows befitting Great Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper for 59 years.

“Eddie is a fascinating character,” said a spokesman for Speakers from the Edge, who have put together his 17-date tour of England and Scotland which starts in two weeks. “We work with some fairly serious adventurers, explorers and climbers who have taken on some of the harshest things on the planet and survived.

“At first Eddie wasn’t really our usual type of speaker. But then we thought about it, and when it comes to perseverence, overcoming adversity and pursuing a dream, he really is.”

Eddie finished last in Calgary, but his efforts were cheered by more than two billion people around the world. In his show he talks about the extensive surgery to rebuild his face and body following years of spectacular crashes stunt jumping over buses and speed skiing. He also tells of his bankruptcy, his law degree and becoming an unlikely pop star in Finland. Last year a film about his life came out. He wanted Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise to play him, but he had to settle for Welsh actor Taron Egerton.