Ex-drug mule Michaella McCollum signed up to Celebrity SAS to ‘push myself'
McCollum, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, was caught trying to smuggle 24lb (11kg) of cocaine worth €2 million out of Peru with accomplice Melissa Reid in 2013.
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The pair, known as the 'Peru Two', were jailed for six years and eight months after admitting the crime but were freed in 2016 after striking a deal with Peruvian authorities.
McCollum told ITV's This Morning: 'Reality type TV series, I've never really been interested in doing anything like that, but I think SAS, there's no other show like that.
'So I thought it would be a really good way to test myself and try and push myself and do something completely different.
'So it was the one show I was like, you know what? I feel like I've been pushed to my limit through other experiences. Why not try this? Never in my life am I gonna face these type of challenges.'
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The Channel 4 reality spin-off series follows 14 famous faces as they endure special forces training in an attempt to make it through SAS selection.
McCollum said: 'I did that show for me. I wanted to improve myself and push myself. It wasn't, 'I'm doing this because I want people to like me.''
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Asked if she was worried about being subject to scrutiny, she said: 'Not really, because I know that's always going to exist.
'And any kind of decisions and things I make, there's always that kind of scrutiny. So I thought, whether I do the show, there'll always be some kind of talk about that.'
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Speaking about what it was like to stay in prison, she said: 'It's obviously extreme, but I feel like I was incredibly adaptable, like I just kind of got along with it.
'And I think for the first part, I felt so guilty and bad. I kind of just thought: 'OK, I deserve it. I'll just suck it up. I'll just get along with it.'
'But I feel like it made me an amazing person. I came back when I was 23.'
Among the other famous faces taking part in the programme are professional boxer Conor Benn, S Club star Hannah Spearritt and the first celebrity deaf recruit, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
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Airing across eight one-hour episodes, the seventh series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will be available to watch on Channel 4 every Sunday and Monday from 9pm starting on August 3rd.
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