Celebrity SAS contestant 'quit hours into filming' before making huge life decision
One of the celebrity contestants on the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which launches next week, reportedly dropped out just hours into the experience. The news comes after the line-up was announced last week.
Fourteen celebrities were enlisted for the Channel 4 show's latest series, which was filmed in Wales. It's teased that the contestants will take part in "the most gruelling phase" of Special Forces selection over the eight episodes, with the upcoming series set to launch next weekend.
The line-up includes former S Club member Hannah Spearritt, 44. She's understood to have filmed for the show prior to relocating to Costa Rica earlier this year, with the singer now living an "uninhibited" life in the jungle.
She was said to have faced a "sequence of setbacks" prior to relocating abroad. In 2023, she was said to have faced homelessness and dropped out of S Club's reunion tour that same year. Her departure from the tour came after bandmate Paul Cattermole 's death weeks prior and Hannah said that her health contributed to the decision.
It's now been reported this week that Hannah's experience on Celebrity SAS proved to be the "final straw" before she moved abroad. It's claimed that she quit on the first day after hoping it would "turn things around for her".
A source told the Daily Mail that Hannah had "pretty much exhausted" her connections in the industry before her move to Costa Rica. They said that she no longer speaks to her bandmates and has "shut herself off" from the industry.
They added that the "final straw" came when she took part in Celebrity SAS. The source told the outlet: "Hannah truly believed that a stint on one of the hardest and most gruelling shows could turn things around for her."
However, it's claimed that Hannah struggled with the experience on the reality TV show. The source said: "But sadly she just couldn't hack it and walked on the first day." They then concluded by saying: "It was all rather embarrassing."
She spoke about her hopes for the show in a statement released by Channel 4 last week when the line-up was announced. She said: "I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there's always improvement there."
Hannah, who has two children, added: "There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it's something that I will have for life."
She said: "However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. Maybe I'll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I'm stronger than I think I am … it's finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. We live in this world where it's so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and … for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids."
Since taking part in the show, Hannah has relocated to Costa Rica with her husband Adam Thomas and their two children. Earlier this year, she teased that she was embracing a "new beginning" after having left the UK just months prior.
Hannah confirmed in January that she had arrived at her new home, writing: "Well ... we finally made it to paradise. Beautiful country, beautiful people." She's continued to share updates since then and her bio on Instagram reads: "Prepper, survivalist and creator now living the uninhibited jungle life."
In one of her first posts after relocating, which was shared in February, Hannah said that the area had helped her "recover from a challenging year". She made the comment alongside photos including one of her beside her kids on a walk.
She wrote in the caption: "Morning walks down to the waterfall… trying to keep up with the little legs! I'm putting together a little reel of this magical place that has really helped me recover from a challenging year and I'll put the link in with it so you can enjoy it too if u like."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
30 minutes ago
- Metro
Everyone in the Celebrity SAS 2025 Cast as hit-show returns tonight
Fourteen famous faces from the world of music, entertainment and sport are being called upon to take part in the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, premiering tonight. The elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers – Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his team of Directing Staff (DS) – Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver – will be taking the celebrities to Wales, the home of the first phase of SAS Selection. There, they will be stripped of their home comforts, families, agents and social media. Together, the DS will push the celebrity recruits even further and teach them the key skills to survive. There will be no room for mistakes as these celebrity recruits face the hardest course yet, in the most gruelling stages of SAS selection. So, without further ado, let's take a look at who will be made to suffer in Channel 4's hit series ahead of the series' highly anticipated return tonight. Former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa will certainly be looking to put his 'beast nickname' to the test on the show. Speaking ahead of the series, he said: 'I've asked myself time and time again – am I built for the Special Forces? 'One of the reasons why I'm doing this is to find out. I would like to think that, put me in most situations, most environments, I'll be able to put my best foot forward, get out of my comfort zone, hit my responsibilities and do what I need to do! 'I think that's what I want to get out of taking part on this course.' Fellow former footballer Troy Deeney will also be taking part in the series. The ex-Watford striker said: 'I'm at a crossroads in my life, so I'm hoping the course can highlight the good and bad in me and hopefully we'll see at the end, that the good outweighs the bad. 'I'm sure the DS will get me irritated very quickly but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.' Conor Benn is renown for his brutal punches in the ring, how will he fare in the SAS challenge? The sportsman said: 'Although boxing is hard, I feel like this is going to be a completely different challenge and I always want to challenge myself. 'I just want to see and experience the toughness and the grittiness you need to pass this course.' Louie Spence is an icon of reality television, but how will this translate to the intensity of SAS: Who Dares Wins? Asked ahead of the series, he revealed: 'This course I hope can walk away feeling I've actually really achieved something here, that I've really pushed myself to the edge of my boundaries and put myself in a position which is beyond something I could have even imagined a year ago. 'This is a course that is really going to challenge me. This is different to anything I've ever been part of before. There's no fluff, there's no glitter, there's no getting myself out of a situation with a quick bit of wit. It's really refreshing for me to do something like this…and, hopefully come out a much better person, both physically and mentally.' Former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri is set for a dramatic change from her daily life as she takes on the course. Discussing the opportunity, she commented: 'I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. But I also want to show people that having a disability makes you no less able – we can also push ourselves, and do crazy challenges if we put our mind to it. 'I really want to be able to actually walk away from the course feeling like I've accomplished what I wanted to do and I want to look back and think, wow, I did that, I'm proud of myself. I'll be doing this for the people who have doubted me. I want prove to them that they can't bring me down. I can fight my way to the end.' Traitors winner Harry Clark has already featured on Celebrity SAS, so how will he fare this time round? 'Growing up, I'd watch people close to me be in the SAS, which always inspired me,' he said. 'This show was a different experience to what I had imagined but I always love a challenge and it proves you're always learning new things about yourself.' Hannah Spearritt was an original member of the pop group S Club and is known for playing Kandice Taylor in EastEnders. Speaking to Channel 4, she said: 'I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there's always improvement there. There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it's something that I will have for life. 'However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. Maybe I'll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I'm stronger than I think I am…it's finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. 'We live in this world where it's so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and…for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.' Former glamour model and media personality Rebecca Loos sees SAS as a once in a lifetime opportunity. She claimed: 'I honestly don't know whether I am mentally strong enough but one of the reasons I want to do this course is because I want to find out whether I'm able to stick it through mentally. 'I think it's going to be really, really tough. This is by far the toughest thing I've ever done. But I want to do this course because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to do an SAS training course. It's going to be really interesting to see how far I can go and how strong I'm able to keep myself.' Drag Queen Bimini Bon-Boulash has been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Talking about how this translates to SAS, she explained: 'I want to do this just to prove to myself that I'm capable of anything I put my mind to. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. No glam, no red carpets, no magazine covers. This is literally just going to be me to my core and I am excited about it but I don't think the course is ready for Bimini. 'People in the UK love to debate gender like it's a concept, not a lived experience. It gets reduced to headlines and toilet talk. I'm doing this to remind them that behind every opinion is a human being. 'The course, the SAS and the Army have got a very masculine stereotype and I've got both elements of masculine and feminine and that's my superpower. Vulnerable, raw, and stronger than ever.' Adam Collard is one of three Love Islanders taking part in Celebrity SAS. Ahead of the series, he said: 'Hopefully during the course, the DS will peel back a few layers because I'm stubborn as hell. And maybe I need to be broken down to then go and sort some stuff out. 'I'm doing it for the little boy who hated himself and couldn't do anything and was the last to get picked in everything. And from an emotional point of view, I'm hoping that this spits out a better person. 'I love a challenge. And I really think this course is exactly what I want to really tap into my fitness, the mental strength, the resilience, and see if I've got the grit to finish and go all the way.' Michaella became famous for being a drug mule, but now as an author she has a further point to prove about herself. Speaking ahead of the show, she said: 'The level of resilience I learned from being in prison in Peru and knowing how important that mindset is, will definitely help get me through the course, so I'm going to need to use my mental strength to help me along the way. 'In Peru, I was completely stripped back to the rawest version of myself…and I know in this course, it will have a similar effect. I will get to see the real me again and I want to challenge myself to see how capable I am. I don't know if I'm physically fit enough to complete the course but I have good mental strength.' Lucy Spraggan is used to rocking on stage, but how will she fare on the course? 'I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course,' she said. 'I have been through quite a lot in my life, and I've done a lot of work to navigate what that left behind, and I really hope that I can apply it to the course, and make it all the way to the end. 'I've always wanted to do this course, and what I love about this course is the sheer pressure it puts on a human being, that you will just not get anywhere else in life. And I've had pressure, I've had so many forms of pressure, nothing like this, so I really just genuinely want to see how far my brain can go.' However, she's also detailed how X Factor creator Simon Cowell, who walked her down the aisle during her wedding last year, was left fuming while playing a role on the show. Despite Simon not being a recruit, he appears in the show when he calls Lucy to try and help motivate her. 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry',' she shared when speaking to The Sun. In the interview Lucy also said the 65-year-old considered appearing on the show himself, but she was worried he'd 'die'. 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience,' she said. British rapper Lady Leshurr is another celebrity who is looking forward to how the course is going to change her. Speaking to Channel 4, she told: 'I think this course is not only going to make me become the best version of myself, but it's going to make me the strongest I've ever been. It's going to make me realise so much about myself that I've kept in. 'It's going to push, motivate and inspire me. It's really going to make or break me. But regardless, it's going to teach me a lesson about myself that I can definitely work on.' As the third former Love Island star to take on the course, could Chloe Burrows reign supreme in Wales? More Trending Commenting on the challenge ahead of her, she said: 'On SAS: Who Dares Wins, everything is completely stripped back. You have absolutely nothing. And I want the course to kind of remind me of that, because I've got a bit lost in myself and the industry. I want to feel a little bit grounded. I want to get a sense of it. I want to push myself, and I want to get a sense of achievement. I want to feel proud of myself for whatever I put into it. 'I think the course is going to give me a bit of confidence. If I even achieve half of the course, then I can walk out and be like, yeah, guess what? I did that on my own. No makeup, no hot shower. I'm very capable…I would love to come out and just feel really pleased with myself and really confident in myself.' Airing across eight one-hour episodes, the seventh series of Celebrity SAS can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday on Channel 4, starting on August 3. A version of this article was first published on July 22, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: 'One of the smartest shows on television': Your favourite TV spy thrillers MORE: Channel 4 comedy branded 'a gift' to be greatest comeback of 2025 MORE: Rebecca Loos' unexpected reaction to 'harsh' David Beckham interrogation on Celeb SAS
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I worked on The Big Breakfast - one presenter hated the chaos on set and there's a simple reason we could NEVER make a show like it now
A former The Big Breakfast worker has lifted the lid on the 'shambolic' scenes on set - and the simple reason a show like it could never be made today. Beverley Cuddy is the editor of Dogs Today magazine and has appeared on the show numerous times with canine-related content. The Big Breakfast first aired in 1992, redefining morning television with its contagious energy and chaotic charm. Broadcast live from a real house in East London, the Channel 4 show marked a radical departure from the polished presenters and professional scripts of traditional breakfast shows. Instead, the daytime slot relied on a faster paced, slapstick humour and unpredictable antics to draw viewers in. The show launched the careers of an array of presenters, including Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen. It also featured appearances from Hollywood A-listers, like Britney Spears, Samuel L. Jackson and Beyoncé. Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins, journalist Beverley said the show would never work today owing to its 'shambolic' nature. 'It was so wonderfully chaotic and shambolic,' she said. 'Nowadays, you'd have to sign so many releases, and it would be a health and safety nightmare. It was a great time in television, and I look back on it fondly.' Beverley described an incident when her magazine was running a campaign to stop cosmetic tail docking, and the Big Breakfast producers decided to do a 'Rear Of The Year' segment showing dogs' natural tails. 'They had a massive garden, so they encouraged us to invite as many dogs as possible,' she said. 'The night before the segment, the man who ran the actual Rear Of The Year threatened to sue. 'It caused a bit of drama, and we had to scramble around and come up with a new name and rebrand everything.' Beverley told how, once, the producers wanted her to help with a prank on journalist Esther Rantzen. 'She was hosting a lot of shows that celebrated dogs who could do amazing things, so they thought it would be funny if we presented her with a load of dogs who couldn't do anything. 'They also wanted one of the dogs to be a cat, so my deputy Claire insisted her cat Nobby go on,' Beverley continued. 'He was stressed during the journey to the house, so he peed all over her, and then he ran off during the segment. I think Claire got so stressed, so she told the presenter Zoe Ball to f*** off live on air.' But the show bosses embraced the chaos, and Beverley insisted the 'loved it when things went wrong.' 'No one was precious,' she added. 'The presenters were all normal and got on with everyone on set. 'Some of the presenters, like Paul O'Grady and Mark Little, were natural comedians, so they rose to the challenge.' But, according to Beverley, not every brain behind the show was comfortable with the madness. 'Zoe Ball was a bit more of a traditional presenter, so she always seemed a bit stressed when things didn't go to plan.' Of presenter Paul O'Grady, Beverley said the 'kind and genuine' drag queen and comedian was wonderful to work with. 'He was amazing as Lily [Savage, his drag persona] and so quick-witted. If anything went wrong, he handled it like a pro. 'You could tell back then how much he loved dogs, so it was wonderful that he went on to be involved so heavily with them.' When asked what the presenters were like off camera, Beverley responded: 'I went on the show so much that I worked with pretty much all the different hosts throughout the years. Everyone was really lovely and charming.' A special feature of the Big Breakfast show was the London brick house in which it was filmed. An eccentric location for an equally eccentric programme, Beverley calls the filming site 'dingy' and 'grim'. 'I have no idea why they picked that location,' she laughed. 'It was a dingy house and not in great condition. 'It was not photogenic, and the bits you didn't see off camera were worse. It was dirty and certainly not flash. 'I don't ever remember there being space for make-up artists or anything like that. It was cramped, and there were so many windows that they probably affected the lighting. The location made everything harder.' Beverley remembers one of the more memorable segments from the show where the focus was dogs that look like real people, based on a feature her magazine had run. 'The Big Breakfast loved it, so we were tasked with finding dogs that looked like the presenters. 'We found a red Griffon Bruxellois that looked like Chris Evans and a beautiful Afghan Hound that was Gabby Roslin. 'We brought the dogs to the house and, during an ad break, the dogs took the place of the presenters. They all behaved amazingly well. 'We also did this wild segment around the time of a general election, where we had to ask everyone at Crufts how their dogs would vote. 'We had a ballot boxer, which was a ballot box in the shape of a dog, and we invited politicians to be interviewed and tell us their dogifestos.' Beverley's time on the show was not without its star-studded moments. For one competition segment, she was on a judging panel with 'someone from Pink Floyd', and the host was Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage. And The Big Breakfast even saw young stars before catching their big break. 'I'm not sure if our paths crossed on The Big Breakfast, but Tom Hardy was on the show as a young model and must have seen our segments because he reached out and was desperate to get his dogs in our magazine,' Beverley remembered. 'None of us knew who he was at the time, but he'd call us every week. We kept fobbing him off, but then we agreed to let a work experience girl interview him. So that was Tom Hardy's first big interview.' It was not all glamour behind the scenes, Beverley says, and the guests were subjected to an experience as 'dingy' as the house. 'Some shows have green rooms, but The Big Breakfast had a rather dingy portacabin we were all crowded into. 'It was quite shabby. There was no hierarchy, and you were lucky if you had a cup of tea.' Among the eclectic mix of presenters, though, things were good. Beverley said Gabby Roslin and Chris Evans were 'so close.' She added: 'They were practically like brother and sister, and you could tell they really worked well as a pair.' As for Beverley herself, who became involved with the show through her friendship with newsreader Peter Smith, she got on best with presenter Chris. 'We still talk even now,' she said. 'Funnily enough, he reached out to me a few years after he'd left The Big Breakfast because he'd got a dog who became ill and sought the help of a vet who was doing pioneering surgery. 'He was so impressed, he asked me if Dogs Today would interview the vet. That vet turned out to be Noel Fitzpatrick, aka the Supervet. So that was a nice start to his now amazing career.'
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I tried Gordon Ramsay's roast dinner and immediately sent it back'
A YouTuber who reviews some of London's most popular restaurants and hotels recently paid a visit to Gordon Ramsay's Heddon Street Restaurant to sample the celebrity chef's roast dinner A woman has shared her honest review of Gordon Ramsay's roast dinner as she sent the meal back at one of his London restaurants. YouTube vlogger Hannah Ricketts visited Heddon Street Restaurant but was left disappointed by the food on offer. Often seen reviewing some of London's most well-known hotels and restaurants on her channel, Hannah Ricketts' latest trip took her to the hustle and bustle of the Soho area of London where the venue is located. Hannah was initially impressed by the restaurant's interior when she entered the eatery. But after looking down at the menu she was less than impressed to see two courses would set her back £35, which she claimed she "wasn't sure was a great offer". Hannah ordered a roast dinner and was "excited" to make a start on it as as she said the beef was "pink" as she had requested. The YouTuber was soon dismayed however upon discovering that the Yorkshire pudding was "completely cold". Things went from bad to worse when she dipped her finger in the gravy to find it too wasn't the temperatures that she had been expecting. Hannah then claimed the dish was "stone cold" to add to her disappointing experience. She did cut the chefs some slack as she "appreciated" how it must be tough to keep all the different components of the dish at the perfect temperatures. The vlogger admitted she was a bit "miffed" and "embarrassed" to send the dish back. But things went from bad to worse when it returned as the medley of crushed and root vegetables were apparently "so overcooked, they're just like mush, like actual mush". Hannah proceeded to move onto her dessert as she had ordered a sticky toffee pudding. But she was left disappointed before even taking a bite as it had been put on the table while she was still in the bathroom. The Heddon Street Restaurant is one of 34 restaurants and bars that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay runs across the UK. His venues range from the more casual locations that include Street Pizza and Street Burger to the more upmarket options of his fine dining concepts, which includes his Restaurant Gordon Ramsay located in Chelsea, London, which boasts an impressive three Michelin-stars. The Heddon Street Restaurant have been contacted for comment. Talking to Town and Country, Gordon unmasked the dreaded 'soup of the day' as his no-go option, often a ploy for kitchens to offload leftovers or yesterday's unsold specials. He said: "Ask what yesterday's soup du jour was before today's special. It may be the case that it's the soup du month."
