‘THE ONLY FUN YOU GET IS BANTER ON THE LOOS!’
REALITY STAR SAM THOMPSON ON HOW THERE WERE REALLY NO HOME COMFORTS IN THE ANDES
One person who could even muster a smile in the face of midnight interrogations is happy-go-lucky Chelsea boy Sam Thompson. The Celebs Go Dating star’s chatty personality and tendency to overuse the word ‘mate’ saw him catch the attention of the Ant immediately – for all the wrong reasons!
But the series does see some serious moments for Sam, 26, who was chosen along with actor Jeremy Irvine to take on female presenter AJ Odudu in a brutal boxing match. Sam admits: ‘It’s equality and that’s brilliant – but it’s still very hard to punch a woman in the face.’
Sam, you got yourself in trouble straight away for being cheeky to Ant… It might be entertaining for you, but for me it’s hard to watch. It reminds me of being at school and if there’s ever a guy not to talk to like he’s your headmaster, it’s Ant Middleton! I’ve learned not to say out loud what I’m thinking all the time, because that was definitely my downfall.
Did you really have no celebrity comforts?
No, mate. Honestly, I can’t tell you how uncomfortable every second was. I put my head in my hands in the morning and thought: ‘I haven’t slept, I’m crusty to the point where I can’t move properly, I’m freezing cold’ and then we have to go and put our wet socks on and eat cold porridge.
What was it like going to the toilet in front of each other? The funniest part of the day! You sit there and have banter with your mate next door. The only bit of fun you get is banter on the loos. I’m not even joking.
What was harder, the physical aspect or the emotional?
As it goes on, you get more and more wet and it gets colder and colder. You’re in the freezing cold mountains. Imagine that with being crusty and muddy. You’re like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz that hasn’t had any oil and you’re just so uncomfortable for the whole time. Clearly, I loved it!
How did you physically prepare for the show?
I didn’t have any of that. I’m not really a celebrity, so I had the very last call up. [Laughs] I did my fitness test three days before everyone else went. Then I found out I was doing the show with an Olympic gold medallist, international footballer and two international rugby players.
As a viewer, the boxing scene is very intense. How did you feel watching back your match against AJ Odudu?
It definitely affected us quite a lot. It’s equality and that’s brilliant – but it’s still very hard to punch a woman in the face.
What were the highlights? The camaraderie. On the other [civilian] series, people are very much doing it to prove something to themselves. We’re doing it for such an amazing cause, Stand Up To Cancer, and that’s the overriding thing. I think that puts you in a team mentality quicker.
SAS: Who DARES Wins – SU2C Celebrity Special BEGINS ON APRIL 7 ON CHANNEL 4 AT 9PM.