Truth behind worrying photos of Ian Thorpe in a wheelchair revealed

Photos of Ian Thorpe in a wheelchair sparked major concern for the former Olympic swimmer, and it seems as though the real reason behind the star's injury is being kept under wraps.

Earlier this week, 7News reporter Chris Reason said of the injury: “We’re told Ian Thorpe is completely OK. But apparently the injury was a serious and painful one."

According to Channel 7, the 41-year-old was injured while competing in The Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition with his childhood friend Christian Miranda.

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'Really unfair'

Thorpe isn't the first star to be injured on the set of an Aussie reality show, and according to a TV insider, this is becoming a pattern that will change reality TV production in Australia forever.

"Australian insurance premiums have just skyrocketed because of negligence from producers who don't know how to make challenges safe!" a TV producer, who asked to remain anonymous, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. "There are so many reality shows currently in production - which will all be affected by the massive increase."

Production companies will be forced to pay exuberant costs due to the number of accidents over the last twelve months, our source says. "For many who have been doing due diligence, it seems grossly unfair.

"Some shows have been in production for 10 years and have never made a claim, but others, which are 'newer concepts,' are responsible for the massive hike in costs that affects every streaming and free-to-air network.

"It is really unfair that on some shows, you can be hung upside down in a helicopter and be safe, but yet major accidents have occurred on something as simple as a golf course.

"Denise Drysdale was paid out very well for her accident on Holey Moley and it took a lot of convincing to get her into the jungle," the TV insider says, referencing Denise's fractured shoulder on the set of the reality show.

"The safety of all participants is paramount and that goes without question but it begs the question why some shows are repeat offenders while others are doing the right thing."

Very little is known about Thorpe's accident that happened on The Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition, but he has confirmed the photos of him in a wheelchair are, in fact, the aftermath of a show he took part in overseas. However, he has signed an NDA and cannot add further comment.

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"The increase in cost could be a very obvious explanation to the dramatic increase in shows being cancelled in the last 12 months."

In recent years, 34 shows across Seven, Nine, and Ten have been either axed, put on an indefinite hiatus, or quietly removed from TV schedules.

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