STARS REVEAL TORMENT AS S My SAS n ARMY TEST SHOCKER FOR NIKKI AND GANG
Stars including Nikki Sanderson and Helen Skelton suffered sleepless nights after tackling the show.
They were pushed to their mental and physical limits by the instructors during filming.
Hollyoaks star Nikki, 36, said: “All of us had nightmares when we got back. I had them for weeks. They were about everything you could think of.
“When you’re filming the show, your body and mind is in a constant state of being on edge.
“When you come out of it you think you can switch off, but you can’t because your mind is still there.
“Every time you hear a noise you think, ‘Has my water bottle fallen? Who’s going to shout at me? Where am I going?.’”
Countryfile presenter Helen, 36, said: “It’s so intense in there that you overthink things. You’re mentally more broken than you realise. It messes with your head.”
Rudimental star DJ Locksmith, real name Leon Rolle, 33, was left in agony by the rigours of the show.
The relentless hiking made a longrunning knee injury flare up. He now fears he will need an operation.
Locksmith said: “Usually I can maintain the injury, but while we were doing the show there was no time to recover and it suffered. It just went on me.
“It was a horrific feeling. Watching back some of the footage has been horrific. It’s 50/50 whether I’ll need a knee replacement. That is the last resort.”
Even boxing champion Tony Bellew, 37, struggled to cope after he got home.
He said: “I kept getting night sweats. And every time I heard a noise at night I’d start looking for an exit point.”
During the week from hell, the celebs were set a series of tough challenges by chief instructor Ant Middleton, 39, all designed to give a taste of what real-life SAS selection is like.
The celebrities who took part had to survive on just 90 minutes of sleep a night and lived in squalor.
Nikki said: “There were loads of times I wanted to quit. I’m not normally a quitter, but when you’re under that much pressure and you’re that tired and you’re in that much pain, you start to think about it.”
Leon added: “I felt like quitting every day. You feel like you have accomplished one task, but then you’re pushed out of your comfort zone again and you’re back to ground zero.
“It got ramped up every day. But it’s about picking yourself up and carrying on.”
Producers have given the celebrities round-the-clock access to counselling to help them cope.
Even months on, they can still get advice. Nikki revealed: “There are psychologists on the end of the phone. We did the show six months ago and they’re still there for us.”
Locksmith added: “The support system is amazing. There’s always someone to talk to you. They gave techniques and a way to get through it.”
The final is tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4.
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