Greg Rutherford, the Olympic long jumper and former Strictly Come Dancing star, has shared a shocking image of his five-year-old daughter Daphne's broken arm after a fall at a park. The injury came just days after she recovered from a month-long bout of chicken pox, which was complicated by impetigo and conjunctivitis.
Details of the accident
Rutherford, 39, posted on Instagram on Sunday night, revealing that he and his partner Susie Verrill were in Southampton when they received a call that Daphne had been in an accident. “Poor Daph — it’s only been a minute since she went back to school after chicken pox (and only a day since me posting about it) and while me and @susiejverrill were in Southampton, we had a call to say she’d had an accident at a park and it looked like she’d broken her arm,” he wrote. “And indeed she has — broken radius and ulnar.”
The photos showed Daphne’s arm bent out of place before being placed in a cast and sling. Her brother was seen drawing on the bandages. Despite the pain, Daphne smiled in her pajamas, holding a stuffed dog. Rutherford thanked the staff at Milton Keynes hospital for their care, adding that Daphne was “made up with her matching broken arm-ed teddy.”
Family’s challenging year
2026 has been a dramatic year for the Rutherford family. In April, their seven-year-old son Rex was rushed to hospital with appendicitis. “We’ve had an eventful few days,” Rutherford said at the time. “Finished up with TCA Camps on Thursday to Rex going straight in to hospital with appendicitis that night. He was so brave start to finish and now back at home requesting all the food.”
Rex had also been hospitalized in 2024 with a head injury. Rutherford joked that his son is “accident-prone” like him, saying on Instagram: “It would seem we have created my exact replica in Rexy. Another head injury to leave another scar. He’s got a few more to go to match me but he’s doing his best to catch.”
Rutherford’s own injury history
Rutherford is no stranger to injuries. He retired from long jumping in 2018 due to an ankle injury, ending a 13-year career. “Whenever I try to sprint or jump, I have to take three days off because I am limping so much. In the end, it wears you down,” he told The Guardian. In 2024, he was forced to miss the Dancing On Ice final after slicing open his stomach, an ordeal he described as “horribly painful,” effectively giving himself a “C-section” when he tore his abdominal muscles during a skating move.
Support from Strictly stars
Former Strictly pro Nadiya Bychkova commented on his post: “Sending lots of love.” Janette Manrara added: “Poor little thing. Hopefully she heals smoothly and quickly.” Rutherford’s daughter is now back home and “working out she can still do loads of stuff with just one arm,” he said.
