17,500 hair miles! That's how far Lady Victoria Hervey's Norfolk terrier is flying - to keep her company on The Jump

By Ben Ellery for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 19:26 EST, 17 January 2015 | Updated: 10:15 EST, 18 January 2015

Hurtling off a huge ski jump is just one of the terrifying prospects facing celebrities taking part in this year’s Channel 4 winter sports competition The Jump.

But socialite Lady Victoria Hervey has made an extraordinary request to ensure she remains relaxed – insisting that producers pay for her new puppy to be flown out to be with her wherever the show is filmed.

It means her six-month-old Norfolk terrier, D’Artagnan, will go back and forth from Los Angeles, where she lives, to Britain, Germany and Austria, covering 17,500 miles.

Puppy love: Lady Victoria with well-travelled Norfolk terrier D’Artagnan in California, left, and Innsbruck, right

Last night Lady Victoria said: ‘That was part of the agreement. I got it in my contract. The training is very difficult, so when we have had a long day he acts as a bit of a stress reliever for everyone.’

Lady Victoria, 38, had just bought the puppy in October from a breeder in Stafford when she was approached for the series.

She was so anxious about leaving him that she asked for a special contract clause guaranteeing his air travel costs would be covered.

Before Christmas, he flew with her from London to LA, at a cost of £1,000, for two weeks. Then he flew back to join Lady Victoria for training at an indoor ski slope in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The socialite, pictured with her pet in London, insisted producers pay for her new puppy to be flown out to wherever the show is filmed

The socialite, pictured with her pet in London, insisted producers pay for her new puppy to be flown out to wherever the show is filmed

He then flew with her earlier this month to Munich, and from there the pair were driven to the show’s base in Innsbruck. 

Lady Victoria’s contract allows a further two flights – for them to fly back to visit friends and family in London once the show is finished and then home to LA.

She added: ‘He must be one of the world’s most travelled puppies – he even has his own passport with a photo.’

The show starts later this month.

 

 

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