TV SHARRON’S SECRET HEARTACHE I quit Grylls show after daughter’s suicide shock
OLYMPIAN Sharron Davies has revealed the secret heartache behind her quitting Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. y felt being a mum was important. I was back in time for the funeral. My daughter and her friend went through senior school together. It was tragic and devastating to his lovely very normal family.
“Grace is keen to get young ung men feeling able to talk more. ore. Suicide rates in young men are way high. It was out of character, ter, an irrational moment that hat has caused so much sadness. ess. Such a wast waste of a wonderful rful young l life.” Sh Sharron, who won silver in the 1980 980 si Olympics and two wo golds g in the 1978 978 Commonwealth th Games, said: “I “I lost my mum in Fe b r u a r y to cancer. c I kind nd of agreed to go on the show in memory ory of her.” Celebrity Island with Bear ear Grylls saw Sharron plus celebs ebs such as Lucy Mecklenburgh of Towie and ex-Coronation Street eet actor Ryan Thomas face tough ugh challenges with little food and water.
Hitting back at claims the show how was phony, Sharron insists they hey had it tougher than ITV’s I’m m A Celebrity. brity. She said: “It’s not fake at all. We didn’t eat for nine days. No water for three days.
“At t one point we had nothing ng to make fire with because use everything got soaked ed with rain.
“I didn’t sleep the whole time I was there. I lost over a stone. ne. It was very, very hard. It is double hard what you see on TV.
“In I’m A Celebrity they get food, a bed, a pillow. The closest to food we got was a knife.”
When her medal-winning days were over, , Sharron p pursued a TV career, featuring in Gladiators and The Big Breakfast.
She said: “I didn’t earn any money f rom swimming. Whereas Jessica Ennis was able to get paid to compete, get s ponsorships, TV advertisements, in my days I didn’t get a penny. So I had to go and learn to do something.
“I had opportunities. I was asked if I wanted to present kids’ programmes or work on radio. I’ve been working for the BBC for 23 years.
“I had to evolve to earn a living.”