Latest news with #MichaellaMcCollum
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Peru Dares Wins: Ex-drug mule looks back on lessons she has learned ahead of Celebrity SAS
As Michaella McCollum announced that she would appear on reality television show SAS Who Dares Wins, the convicted drug mule reflected on how her life has changed in the past 12 years.
Western Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins lineup including Traitors star
From a Traitors winner to a former footballer, 14 famous faces will be put to the test in the new series. The stars will endure special forces training in an attempt to make it through SAS selection with the programme showing viewers the gruelling tasks it takes to get there. Here's what we know about this year's lineup and how to watch the new series. Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins full lineup The following celebrities will take on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins this year: Traitors winner and former soldier Harry Clark Media personality Rebecca Loos Former Premier League Footballer Troy Deeney Professional boxer Conor Benn S Club star Hannah Spearritt Former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri Dancer Louie Spence Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan Former footballer and broadcaster Adebayo 'The Beast' Akinfenwa Former Love Island contestant Chloe Burrows Former Love Island contestant Adam Collard Author Michaella McCollum Rapper Lady Leshurr Drag artist and DJ Bimini Former Watford player Deeney 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 (directing staff) will get me irritated very quickly, but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.' Ghouri, who was born deaf and is the series' first deaf celebrity contestant, said: 'I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. '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.' Media personality Loos, who is best known for being Sir David Beckham's former assistant and for claiming that he had an affair with her, will also join the special forces training along with Michaella McCollum, who made headlines in 2013 after being imprisoned in Peru for drug smuggling charges, now known as one of the 'Peru Two'. Drag artist and DJ Bimini said: '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.' Where will Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins be filmed? The celebrities will be taken to Wales where they will immerse themselves in special forces training, led by chief instructor Billy Billingham and his team of directing staff (DS) which includes Jason Fox or 'Foxy', Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. Billingham said: 'This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. 'Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.' Recommended reading: How to watch Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins The series will be split into eight one-hour episodes and will be available to watch on Channel 4 every Sunday and Monday from 9pm. The first episode of the 7th series will start on Sunday, August 3. Who won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2024? Former Love Island star Georgia Harrison, 29, and champion boxer Lani Daniels, 36, were the two recruits to complete the latest series of the Channel 4 show. The finale saw the final four – Harrison, Daniels, former professional boxer Anthony Ogogo and reality TV Star Bianca Gascoigne – face an intense interrogation by a specialist team where they had to pretend they had been caught behind enemy lines deep in the New Zealand wilderness.
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Drug mule Michaella McCollum set to star on new series of reality show
Michaella McCollum will join the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4 Michaella McCollum is set to appear on the new series of a Channel 4 reality TV series. McCollum, who made headlines in 2013 after being imprisoned in Peru for drug smuggling charges, will join the likes of Traitors winner Harry Clark, Sir David Beckam's former assistant Rebecca Loos, and ex-Premier League footballer Troy Deeney, as they are pushed to their limits as they join the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Michaella McCollum (Photo by Presseye) The reality spin-off series will follow 14 famous faces – which also includes professional boxer Conor Benn, S Club star Hannah Spearritt and the first celebrity deaf recruit, former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri – as they endure special forces training in an attempt to make it through SAS selection. The 2025 line-up includes celebrities from across industries such as former soldier Clark, dancer Louie Spence and former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan. McCollum, now known as one of the 'Peru Two', will also join up with Loos, who claimed that she had an affair with David Beckham. Troy Deeney (Richard Sellers/PA) Former Watford player Deeney also joins the line-up and 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 (directing staff) will get me irritated very quickly, but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.' Group shot of all recruits lined up on beach (Channel 4/PA) News in 90 Seconds - July 23rd Deeney will be joined by former footballer and broadcaster Adebayo 'The Beast' Akinfenwa, along with a few Love Island veterans including Chloe Burrows (series seven) Adam Collard (series four and eight) and Ghouri (series eight). Ghouri, who was born deaf, said: 'I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. '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.' Tasha Ghouri (Alamy/PA) The line-up is completed with musician Lady Leshurr and drag artist and DJ Bimini, who said: '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.' Michaella McCollum escorted in handcuffs by police following her arrest The celebrities will be taken to Wales where they will immerse themselves in special forces training, led by chief instructor Billy Billingham and his team of directing staff (DS) which includes Jason Fox or 'Foxy', Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. Billingham said: 'This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. 'Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.' 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 3.
South Wales Argus
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins lineup including Traitors star
From a Traitors winner to a former footballer, 14 famous faces will be put to the test in the new series. The stars will endure special forces training in an attempt to make it through SAS selection with the programme showing viewers the gruelling tasks it takes to get there. Here's what we know about this year's lineup and how to watch the new series. Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins full lineup The following celebrities will take on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins this year: Traitors winner and former soldier Harry Clark Media personality Rebecca Loos Former Premier League Footballer Troy Deeney Professional boxer Conor Benn S Club star Hannah Spearritt Former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri Dancer Louie Spence Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan Former footballer and broadcaster Adebayo 'The Beast' Akinfenwa Former Love Island contestant Chloe Burrows Former Love Island contestant Adam Collard Author Michaella McCollum Rapper Lady Leshurr Drag artist and DJ Bimini Former Watford player Deeney 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 (directing staff) will get me irritated very quickly, but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.' Ghouri, who was born deaf and is the series' first deaf celebrity contestant, said: 'I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. '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.' Media personality Loos, who is best known for being Sir David Beckham's former assistant and for claiming that he had an affair with her, will also join the special forces training along with Michaella McCollum, who made headlines in 2013 after being imprisoned in Peru for drug smuggling charges, now known as one of the 'Peru Two'. Drag artist and DJ Bimini said: '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.' Where will Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins be filmed? The celebrities will be taken to Wales where they will immerse themselves in special forces training, led by chief instructor Billy Billingham and his team of directing staff (DS) which includes Jason Fox or 'Foxy', Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. Billingham said: 'This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. 'Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.' Recommended reading: How to watch Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins The series will be split into eight one-hour episodes and will be available to watch on Channel 4 every Sunday and Monday from 9pm. The first episode of the 7th series will start on Sunday, August 3. Who won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2024? Former Love Island star Georgia Harrison, 29, and champion boxer Lani Daniels, 36, were the two recruits to complete the latest series of the Channel 4 show. The finale saw the final four – Harrison, Daniels, former professional boxer Anthony Ogogo and reality TV Star Bianca Gascoigne – face an intense interrogation by a specialist team where they had to pretend they had been caught behind enemy lines deep in the New Zealand wilderness.
Daily Record
17-06-2025
- Daily Record
Peru Two's Michaella McCollum branded 'stunning' as she dons little black dress
Michaella McCollum, now 31, was arrested in Peru in 2013 for trying to smuggle £1.5 million worth of cocaine out of the country. She was released in 2016 after serving half her sentence and has gone on to turn her life around Michaella McCollum, who once made headlines as one half of the infamous 'Peru Two' drug mules, has wowed her followers with two "stunning" photos from her most recent holiday at another picturesque destination. Now 31, Michaella was introduced to the public in the midst of the scandal over ten years ago. Despite her rocky introduction to fame, the mum, who hails from Northern Ireland, has reinvented herself as an author, sharing the details of her ordeal in a memoir, hauntingly titled You'll Never See Daylight Again. Michaella is also a prolific public speaker and has even taken part in television and production projects for industry heavyweights such as the BBC and Netflix. Back in the summer of 2013, a then 19-year-old Michaella headed to Ibiza solo "on her first holiday", where she unfortunately encountered individuals who convinced her to smuggle 11kg of cocaine, valued at £1.5 million, out of the country. Michaella and her accomplice, Glasgow -born sales assistant Melissa Reid, were seized at Lima airport in Peru after attempting to sneak the drugs onto a flight wrapped in oatmeal and jelly packets - in a bid to mask the scent. Once their smuggling attempt was thwarted, they infamously became known as the Peru Two and were subsequently sentenced to six years and eight months inside the notorious Ancon 2, a high-security prison. Michaella was just 20-years-old when she was sentenced. After serving half of her sentence, Michaella was released on parole on March 31, 2016. Similarly, Melissa was set free that year on June 21, after Peruvian officials decided to "expel" her from the country. In a recent interview on Good Morning Britain, Michaella recounted her past experiences in light of "a growing number of Brits abroad" getting arrested for similar drug-related crimes. Speaking to hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, Michaella said: "I think it's alarming that it's all young girls and it's similar stories. "They've all travelled to a country - alone - that they haven't been to before and their families are filing missing persons reports, and they wind up in prison. I mean, it's a similar story to my situation." At the time of her crime, Michaella admitted to being significantly influenced by "a lot" of drugs and alcohol. She also shared how she naively assumed her acquaintances were "safe" because they appeared to abstain from drinking and they didn't "take drugs", which led to her "trusting them" and falsely concluding they were "good people" who "didn't party". These assumptions, she revealed, enabled them to "lure" her into the dark world of drug smuggling. Emerging from the other side transformed, Michaella's post-prison life has been one of reformation; she graduated from the University of Ulster with her twin sons Rio and Rafael cheering her on. Garnering substantial support, the former drug mule now boasts more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly shares snippets of her new life. Michaella is often pictured making the most of her freedom, embarking on jet-setting adventures and exploring scenic spots with her young boys. In a recent social media update, Michaella posted a photo taken in what looks to be her hotel bathroom. In it, she's sporting a sleek black dress that accentuates her toned physique, with her long blonde hair flowing down her shoulders. A second photo features her posing in front of a stunning ocean backdrop, prompting her followers to share their thoughts in the comments. One fan praised Michaella for her story and said: "Just finished your audiobook! Found it to be an inspirational read, quite heartwarming actually, which wasn't expected. Your honesty about the situation came across really well. Well done and good luck with your future endeavours". Another admirer said: "Stunning photos and you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress". Michaella's memoir, You'll Never See Daylight Again, was later adapted into a BBC/Netflix documentary series that she narrated, with the BBC confirming Michaella received no payment for the project.
