Gavin Henson says he wants to regain his Wales place in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
The centre, 28, has not played since March 2009 and has been on indefinite unpaid leave from the Ospreys.
But Henson says his involvement in a reality television show has helped rekindle his competitive spirit and boost his confidence after injury.
"I've never been to a Rugby World Cup. The next is 2011 and I'm thinking about training for that," Henson said.
"Hopefully I can get back into rugby, do well and get into the World Cup squad. It's the one thing that is not on my CV.
"Being in a team environment and the competition element just made me realise what I was missing.
"All those positive thoughts have come back and I'm not too old to make a comeback - if I leave it any longer I'll be too old.
"I'm pretty competitive I suppose, well I was when I was playing rugby. I lost it the last year in rugby and that's probably why I've taken time out to get my hunger back.
"This is probably the first step on the ladder to getting my rugby career back."
The 2005 and 2008 Wales Grand Slam-winner has been on unpaid leave since being hurt - having already suffered a string of lengthy injuries over several seasons - while playing for the Ospreys in April 2009.
Henson - capped by the British and Irish Lions on the 2005 tour to New Zealand - split from his fiancee, Charlotte Church, in June but despite their estrangement has credited the singer with persuading him to sign up for the show 71 Degrees North.
A group of celebrities were shipped out to the north of Norway to take on a series of challenges, surviving in temperatures that regularly plummeted to -30C.
"I wouldn't have done it if she [Church] didn't want me to, but she was the one who pushed me to do it," Henson added.
"I'd recovered from my injury but I was a little bit too nervous to start training.
"I was in the worst shape I'd been in but because of my athletic background every day I got stronger.
"It kick-started me off for training again. I want to get back into rugby now."
Last week Wales coach Warren Gatland told BBC Sport he hoped Henson would return to rugby soon, but warned the player was running out of time if he hoped to prove himself in time for the World Cup in September 2011.
"If it's not until the new year it's potentially going to be too late - he's been out of the game for a while," Gatland said.
"I haven't spoken to Gavin but it would be great to see him back on the rugby field."
Henson, who won the last of his 31 caps against Ireland in last year's RBS Six Nations, has one year left on his Ospreys contract but is reported to be considering a move to England with an Aviva Premiership club.
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