Celebs Go Dating‘s James Haskell finds himself visibly awkward tonight as his date makes a sexual joke about his injured leg – and his response gets a clap from us.
The former rugby player is one of six famous faces hoping to find love as the E4 show kicks off for a brand new series.
As he staggers in, voiceover Rob Beckett says: “Hang on, where’s the crutch come from?!”
James, who was previously married to Chloe Madeley – daughter of Richard and Judy, is then sent on a date in the first episode.
His match also mentions James’ injury while making a crass quip.
Here’s what happened…
Celebs Go Dating: What happened to James Haskell’s leg?
James was first spotted on crutches in December 2025. He was wearing an air boot but the reason behind it all was a mystery. Weeks later, he began filming Celebs Go Dating.
In tonight’s episode, James is matched with a 30-year-old woman called Kitten.
During their date, Kitten says to James: “I saw online that you have a leg injury.”
He replies: “I do, I’m limping everywhere.”
Kitten then makes an apparently sexual joke about his injury, leaving James visibly awkward.
She tells him: “I was happy about that because try doing a back door now.”
Even Rob is shocked, saying: “Sorry, what?!”
Also looking shocked but barely reacting, James tries to act normal as he says: “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t that anyway. I’m too much of a gentleman.”
Perhaps James thought Kitten meant doing a runner through the backdoor of the restaurant?
Err, something tells us she didn’t.
‘Limping everywhere’
James was actually recovering from surgery while he took part in Celebs Go Dating. He had undergone a Subtalar fusion.
The NHS’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital states: “This is an operation to fuse/stiffen part of the hindfoot. The aim is to enable you to stand and walk more comfortably.”
James was offered the surgery after spending five years in constant pain.
He had first injured his ankle when England played against France in 2010 and never fully recovered.
Speaking in an Instagram video with his leg propped up after his surgery, James explained: “I hurt my ankle, rehabbed it, I kept playing and must have ruptured some ligaments at the time. I rehabbed it and had an operation.
“But wear and tear from 2010 to now, I was basically having no good days. Every time I walked anywhere I was limping. My walking was real bad.
“I ended up having to have spinal surgery, which is probably down to walking funny.”
James had recorded his video just 10 days after his surgery. He explained how it would take 12 weeks to recover, if not longer.
So there we have it. Mystery solved!
Read more: Coleen Nolan admits she’s ‘gagging for it’ as she tries sex toys in racy Celebs Go Dating scenes
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