>? KF K?< =@E8C J@O F= N?F ;8I<J N@EJ J8P%%%
40
Orthopaedic surgeon Aberdeen Married. No children.
Lou was raised in a highly competitive environment with her identical twin sister. Unusually, as well as having a twin herself, she also has younger identical twin brothers, one of whom has identical triplet daughters.
She has sacrificed having children to make sure she can give her patients the best care possible. Being one of the only female orthopaedic surgeons in Scotland has meant she’s become used to working in a male-dominated environment. Louise describes herself as a leader and prefers spending time with men.
Motivation: While Lou’s work pushes her to her absolute limits, she wanted to use the SAS opportunity to see how far her mental resilience goes. Her previous goal was to become a consultant and now she has achieved this Lou would like a fresh challenge.
Lou says: “It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to be in the series. “Without a doubt one of the most mentally and physically demanding things I have ever done. I have met friends for life among the inspirational recruits who were involved. It was far harder than I expected. The worst thing was being constantly on edge.
“I don’t think I found it tougher than the male recruits, I think we all found it equally difficult. “Everyone was treated equally, there was definitely no favouritism being female. “The weather and the altitude were the toughest part.
“We had less than 24 hours’ acclimatisation and it’s very humbling when what is normally a simple exercise becomes a struggle with shortness of breath and a feeling of drowning!
“I loved proving that I had the mental and physical resilience to cope with all that they threw at us. But while I’ve loved every minute, I do love what I do on a day-to-day basis and wouldn’t ever give that up. Saying that, it’s been a privilege and I’ve learnt a lot. I would love to do it again.”
26 Shepherd/farmer Cumbria
Lives with her boyfriend, who served in the Marines for eight years. Hannah swapped the urban life of Wirral for living in Cumbria.
Her partner has served in the Armed Forces and she would like to understand what he’s gone through. She thinks this experience will bring her closer to him. He’ll be the voice in her head constantly telling her to work harder and push herself. Motivation: Hannah also believes in gender equality and that women can be as mentally and physically tough as men. She believed if her boyfriend could go through eight years of service and come out the other side, she would cope with this course. Hannah feels: “Anything a man can do, I can do.” She’s always been an animal lover, but it was seeing the birth of a lamb while on holiday in
2013 that made her realise farming was what she wanted to do. Hannah was met with scepticism and negativity when she first entered into the male-dominated agricultural community, but has been proving her capability for over five years. Hannah says: “I decided to enter a male dominated industry, when I decided to farm, having not come from a farming background. I’ve worked incredibly hard to prove myself, and prove I can do anything a male can do in this industry. “I work with men every day and I have always been very comfortable and can hold my own around them. “Therefore living, sleeping, toilets, really didn’t bother me too much.
“In the end it was quite funny. Everyone had their own toilet routine so every morning I’d always be pooing with the same people.
“Some of the conversations recorded must be hilarious. “At the end of the day I feel like I’ve challenged myself to the max and conquered SAS: Who Dares Wins. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done – physically and mentally. It pushed my mind and body way past what I thought was possible.”