Rugby League legend Ellery Hanley has spoken of his unceremonious dumping from the hit TV reality show Dancing on Ice… and paid tribute to the Bradfordian support which he says kept him buoyed throughout the series.

Ellery, 47, found himself in the bottom two “skate off” for the third time on Sunday night’s Eighties-themed show, and lost out to Melinda Messenger after a disastrous tumble in his second go at the routine, dancing with partner Frankie Poultney to Come On, Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

Yesterday Ellery laughed off the fall, saying that a career with Rugby League teams including Bradford Northern, where he started his playing life, Wigan and Leeds has meant falling over – more usually under the weight of three or four hefty forwards – is an “occupational hazard” for him.

Ellery told the T&A: “I wouldn’t really say I was disappointed to be voted out on Sunday – I more feel like I overstayed my welcome! There were some far better skaters than me voted out in recent weeks. I’m a trier, though, and I was pleased with my performance, because I’d never skated on ice before I started training for this show.”

Ellery, of course, has made his living on turf, and likens ice and grass to “chalk and cheese”. But he vowed: “There’s no doubt about it, I’ll be strapping on the skating boots again. I really enjoy it now.”

Ellery and Frankie have undergone a gruelling training programme since the show started, and he’s been a regular at Bradford Ice Rink where he says he has made great friends. Ellery said: “I call everyone at the Ice Rink my ‘Bradford family’. They’ve been so good to me, and I get everyone, from young children to older people, coming up to me wishing me luck and saying they’ve voted for me. I really do wish I could shake the hand of everyone who took the time to pick up the phone and voted to keep me in.”

Ellery says he’s now heading back to his “retirement”… but said he might be tempted back on TV if another reality show came knocking. So might we see him one day on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here?

“I think learning to skate would be far harder than having to eat bugs,” he laughs. “But I might change my mind about that after I’d actually eaten something horrible.”

Ellery says he will keep in touch with his fellow stars – including Colleen Nolan, singer Ray Quinn, investigative reporter Donal McIntyre and presenter Michael Underwood. He said: “We’re all great friends now. Donal has even asked me to be godfather to his baby.”

One person who might not be on Ellery’s Christmas card list, though, is judge Jason Gardiner, whose snide comments – he called Ellery a “moving lump” after Sunday’s performance – have got the former RL star’s back up.

Ellery said: “If you have to make criticisms then you should be able to do it gracefully. I don’t think personal attacks are really good or necessary.”

And Ellery’s tip for the final? “The most improved skater has been Donal McIntyre. But I think we’ll say Ray Quinn and Jessica Taylor in the final week. Ray’s outstanding and I call Jessica ‘class in a glass’.”

e-mail: david.barnett@telegraphandargus.co.uk