A Hollywood actor will ski for Team GB at next month's Winter Olympics four years after calling time on his sporting career.

Essex-born, American-raised Gus Kenworthy, 34, had an Olympic medal to his name when he decided to switch careers after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

He planned to focus on his acting career, having played Chet Clancy in Season 9 of American Horror Story, but now he's back on the slopes.

Kenworthy will compete at the Games in Milan next month for Team GB, just as he did in 2022, despite donning American colours in 2014 and '18. 

The 34-year-old won silver in the Olympic Slopestyle 12 years ago, before gaining fame four years later when he was kissed live on TV by US actor Matthew Wilkas. However in 2022 he switched allegiances to honour his British mother. 

Incredibly, it was only last month that Kenworthy began his return to skiing after deciding he would attempt to force his way into the British freestyle squad, and he's already ninth-ranked in the world heading into the Olympics.

He got the call from Head Coach for GB Snow Sport Pat Sharples confirming he will be making the trip to northern Italy earlier this week in a moment shared on his social media.

Kenworthy looked jubilant, responding 'amazing', before Sharples continued: 'We have been doing selection all day across all the disciplines. 

'You'll get your official letter. But I wanted to be the first one to congratulate you for being selected to Team GB for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics.

'Fair play man. You pulled it off. I said the only person I knew who could do it in that time would have been you - and you did it. 

'Not even half-heartedly. You smashed it. Huge congrats. Good luck at the Games. Do what you do - keep yourself healthy.' 

It's now less than three weeks until the highly-anticipated Games get underway, with Milan's San Siro stadium hosting the opening ceremony on February 6. 

The event will take place both in Milan and in the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Alps. Most indoor events will be held in inner-city arenas with a total of 15 venues across the north of Italy hosting competitions. 

It will be the third time in history that the country has hosted the Winter Olympics.