Beth Tweddle takes first unaided steps after fall on The Jump

Olympic bronze medallist Beth Tweddle has taken her first unaided steps since having neck surgery following her fall on Channel 4's The Jump.

The retired British gymnast, 30, had fractured vertebrae fused together after she was injured while training for the winter sports TV programme.

Tweddle says doctors at the hospital in Austria are happy with her progress.

"I've started to feel a lot better in the past 24 hours and I've begun walking by myself," she said.

"It's still a case of taking one day at a time, but I'm setting myself goals and I'm determined to be up and about as soon as I can.

"Next week we will have a better idea of when I can be discharged from hospital."

Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, 26, Holby City actress Tina Hobley, 44, and Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 26, have all withdrawn from the show because of injury.

Tweddle, who has won five World Championships medals in her career, including three golds, has been in hospital since hitting a barrier last week.

She thanked those who have sent messages of support.

"My mum and dad have been reading them to me," added Tweddle. "One day, I'll be able to reply to you all, it really has meant a lot to me, so thank you."

She is Britain's most successful female gymnast, featuring at three Olympics and claiming Commonwealth Games gold in the uneven bars in 2002.

She has won 11 medals across eight European Championships and seven consecutive national titles.

The Jump follows celebrities as they try to master various winter sports, including ski jumping, skeleton and speed skating.

Channel 4 said it had asked producers to review safety procedures on the reality TV programme.

Adlington, who won two swimming gold medals for Britain at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, suffered a shoulder injury, while Hobley dislocated her elbow and suffered two fractures to an arm.