Who mares wins

Speaking before tonight’s final, Vicki Anstey, 41, admitted: “I had bad dreams for about a month, thinking I was still there, feeling the pressure.

“Once I stayed up all night in my bedroom, on night watch.

“I was semi- conscious. I couldn’t snap out of it.”

And fellow finalist Hannah Jackson, 26, added: “I had two weeks of nightmares. I woke up in sweats.”

Women were allowed to join the special forces for the first time this year. And the move sparked the hit Channel 4 show.

Vicki and Hannah compete beside Louise Gabbitas, 29, and Lou Mccullough, 40, tonight against the final four men.

“It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” said orthopaedic surgeon Lou. Hannah added: “You can’t explain how high your anxiety levels are.”

Fitness instructor Vicki, from London, said former soldier and chief instructor Ant Middleton almost broke them all. She said: “Ant and the others have an incredible skill to take you to your absolute limit without quite killing you. It’s a fine line.”

Cornish midwife Louise added: “In the past few days, I even struggled to put on my boots, my hands were that sore.”

All four women have proved they are as tough as the men – but women entering real SAS selection face huge challenges. Hannah, a shepherd herd from Cumbria, said: “Once t hey get through their trainaining, they’ll be put among very ery traditional military tary men who don’t think t hey should be there. They are e going to have to work hard to break down barriers and get rid of st stereotypes.”

After the their experience on the show show, three of the women a admit they would sign up for the special fo forces if they were younger. Louise said: “If I had my time again, I’d apply for SAS selection. I’m 30 but I’m in an established career now.”

Hannah said: “If I had gone on the show four years ago I would have come out and thought, ‘I’m going to join up.’”

And Lou, from Aberdeen, added: “If I was 20 years younger I’d do it.

“We’ve proved women are just as strong as men.”