Peru Two's Michaella McCollum: 'I don't want to be defined by my mistake'
As she steps back into the spotlight in the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, she's joining us alongside Marine Commando Jason Fox, to reveal what life was like in Peru's toughest jail, and why she's determined to be open about her mistakes.
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Metro
8 minutes ago
- Metro
Inside Lucy Spraggan's marriage and X Factor judge who walked her down aisle
Lucy Spraggan has been roughing out the challenges of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in the latest season. The former X Factor contestant gained the mass support of fans after openeing up about her sexual assault in 2012, and made us all wince when she tore her vulva on the show. Across the season she has also almost knocked a tooth out, fainted and landed face-first in the sea after attempting to jump from a helicopter into a boat. She was left with a black eye for her wedding day earlier this year when she tied the knot with Emilia Smith in a picturesque ceremony. They had been friends for more than a decade before their friendship blossomed into something more, and its been a whirlwind from there. Lucy and Emilia began dating in December 2023 after knowing each other for more than 10 years. They began dating after Lucy split with her ex-girlfriend, Evangelina. Emilia is a wedding and lifestyle photographer and, away from the camera, is a mental health advocate. Speaking to The Wedding Edition, Lucy said: 'We actually met more than a decade ago. She was going out with someone I knew, and we just became friends. 'We got really close over the last five or six years – I got sober in 2019 and that's when we started being more aligned.' She added that the couple had known for some time that they wanted to get married, and Lucy popped the question in March 2024. 'For the engagement, we realised quite early on that we wanted to get married to each other, so I organised a games night with all her family,' she continued. 'I made a Play-Doh ring and pretended to propose to her with that. She went 'Get down on your knee then!' and when I did, I actually had a proper ring.' Lucy wrote in an Instagram post after they got engaged: ''When you know you know'. That's the response we've heard the most over the last few weeks when Emilia & I have told our people that we are, in fact, getting married in June. 'That's a phrase I really thought I understood throughout my life, that I believed I had a full appreciation of but… It wasn't until I fell in love with my friend of 10 years that I truly felt it.' Lucy and Georgina tied the knot in June 2024, just months after getting engaged. Among the guests to see the couple tie the knot at Saltmarshe Hall, a historic country hotel in East Yorkshire, were Lauren, Ru Paul's Drag Race star Bimini Bon-Boulash, and Love Island star Adam Collard – not to mention Lucy's dog Steve dressed in a black bow tie. Emilia wore a stunning strapless white gown by Australian label Chosen by Kyha, while Lucy donned a crisp white suit from King & Allen. Lucy was walked down the aisle by former X-Factor judge Simon Cowell, whom she previously described as a surrogate parent to her. 'It was perfect,' Lucy said, talking about the big day. 'Simon and I were standing outside the door and my song started playing. I was already crying, and Simon definitely had a tear in his eye. I was linking arms with him but then I realised I was holding on to his arm. 'He kept saying, 'You're OK, you're all right'. Then when Emilia walked in with her dad I just sobbed,' she told Hello! magazine. Reflecting on the moment, Emilia also said Simon 'looked so proud'. Of being asked to walk Lucy down the aisle, Simon told the publication: 'I was very honoured to be asked to walk Lucy down the aisle. I considered it a very big deal. As soon as she asked me, I said yes. 'On the day I was actually quite nervous because l've never been asked before. And then very proud and happy and emotional. 'The best way of describing our relationship is that it feels like we've been friends for life.' Lucy was previously married to Georgina Gordon from 2016 to 2019. They began dating three years prior after meeting in a bar following Lucy's stint on The X-Factor. Lucy proposed to Georgina in 2015 during a romantic boat ride, telling OK! Magazine at the time: '[Georgina] didn't have a clue and she turned around and I was on one knee – it was amazing. 'I think I knew that she'd say yes, but it was still scary. 'I got a boat – she didn't know we were going on a boat, we went underneath Albert Bridge and her friends and family, her mum was on the bridge with all of her mates.' They tied the knot the following year, and in 2017, they announced they were trying for a baby. While undergoing fertility treatment, Lucy and Georgina became foster carers and welcomed 12 children into their home. In 2019, Lucy announced their split after 'six years of joy.' More Trending She wrote in a statement: 'It's with sadness to let you know that after nearly 6 years of joy, fun, and true love, Georgina and I have decided to part ways. 'We have shared the most amazing times and life together, and we are truly grateful for knowing love at its full capacity. 'We will continue on our paths as ultimate friends and dog Mums, united by the bond and memories we will always have. View More » 'We are eternally thankful for the support you have offered to us; in this time of hardship we we appreciate space and time to deal with the change.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Rylan Clark says 'it's time to know the truth' after Tulisa's emotional confession MORE: Who is left in the cast of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins? MORE: X Factor childhood sweethearts marry in gorgeous ceremony 9 years on from show
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Who is in cast of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins? Full list
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins has an all-star cast from world of sports, music and entertainment 📺 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues this weekend. Channel 4 has assembled an all-star line-up for this season. But who is still in the process? It is time to pull on your fatigues because another episode of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is nearly here. The show saw the first axing of the season on Monday (August 11) while even more contestants withdrew. Channel 4 has assembled quite the line-up of stars from the world of music, sport and entertainment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But who is still left in the process and which stars have departed? Here's all you need to know: Who has left Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins? Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Top: Connor Been (L), Lucy Spraggan (R). Bottom: Michaella McCollum (L), Harry Clark (R) | Channel 4 The first star to leave the process was Hannah Spearritt after she made the decision to withdraw from the competition in episode one. The former S Club singer and EastEnders actor pulled out before the hostage challenge in the premiere of series 7. Louie Spence had floated the idea of leaving earlier in the episode but initially carried out. The dancer and Pineapple Dance Studios star quit the competition later in episode one, following the hostage challenge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the second episode, ex-Love Island stars Tasha Ghouri and Chloe Burrows both dropped out. It means only 10 celebs were left with six episodes to go. The third episode saw no departures as none of the celebs handed in their numbers and the staff had not started to 'cull' the cast yet. It was a bit of a change of pace after the first couple of episodes. However, the fourth episode on August 11 saw another pair of departures. First Adebayo 'The Beast' Akinfenwa had to withdraw after aggravating an old knee injury during a challenge. The direct staff also took the decision to axe former Traitors winner Harry Clark from the process at the end of the episode. He was accused of 'cutting corners' after the staff noticed he was slacking in physical exercises - like doing burpees - and he initially lied about it when challenged. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It means that out of the original 14 stars who entered the show at the start of the season, six have already left. Eight celebs are remaining in the process heading into the back-half of series 7. Who is still in the cast of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins? Channel 4 has once again pulled famous faces from across a wide range of industries for its hit reality show spin-off. The line-up includes ex-footballers, reality stars, musicians and more. Originally, 14 stars entered but that has already been cut by almost half. Just eight stars remain in the process after Monday (August 11) night: Troy Deeney - 35, ex-Premier League footballer Conor Benn - 27, professional boxer Rebecca Loos - 46, TV personality and yoga teacher Bimini - 31, RuPaul's Drag Race UK star and DJ Michaella McCollum - 30, one of the 'Peru Two' Lady Leshurr - 36, rapper and Dancing on Ice star Lucy Spraggan - 32, musician and X-Factor star Adam Collard - 28, reality TV star and Love Island contestant Chief instructor Billy said: 'This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When is Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on next? The show reached the halfway mark on August 11 as Channel 4 broadcast episode four of series 7. Eight episodes will feature in the season in total - with eager fans able to watch it all early at an extra cost. Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will continue tonight (August 17) and will start at 9pm. The sixth episode will follow tomorrow (August 18). The show will continue through to the August bank holiday weekend. Each episode will be broadcast on Channel 4/ 4HD and will also be available on catch up. If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film.
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Bimini Bon-Boulash signed up to 'hardest show on TV' without seeing an episode
Bimini Bon-Boulash had never seen SAS: Who Dares Wins before signing up. They just knew it was dubbed 'the hardest show on television' — and that alone was enough to lure them in. Despite the show's infamous reputation, Bimini is impressively unfazed when shot at, punched in the face, or dropped from a great height into ice-cold waters. The drag artist — real name Tommy Hibbits — admited to Metro that even they've asked themselves while watching it back: 'Am I okay? Nothing seems to be bothering me that much, as if I need the extremities to focus and be calm.' However underneath the undaunted surface the star admits they approached the process with caution. Not because of the endurance it demanded, but because they were being thrown into an intense environment with hyper-masculine straight men like former Premier League footballer Troy Deeney, professional boxer Conor Benn, and Love Island heartbreaker Adam Collard. 'I knew people weren't gonna be homophobic, but I thought, 'Is it gonna be like high school again — hanging around with the straight lads, and everyone just taking the p**s out of each other all the time?'' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But quickly, that didn't matter. They had to come together as a team, become friends — they were all each other had. Still, Bimini is clearly disappointed that there's a lot we don't see on-screen — presumably because Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins prefers to show its stars at their lowest. 'I had a conversation with Conor, Adam, Troy, myself and Lucy [Spraggan], and the men said they don't know how to express emotion without anger. They realised it's actually sadness — but they don't know how to be sad without being angry. That's all they've ever been taught: to 'man up.' We deconstructed it in a progressive way that would be really beautiful to see.' Instead, those moments of vulnerability are cut in favour of pure misery. In a recent episode, Bimini was gloved up and put in the ring with Traitors winner Harry Clarke — instructed to pull no punches. 'That was so out of my comfort zone,' they say. 'I don't like physical violence. I don't like the idea of war. So that challenge was what I was most worried about — which is interesting, because that was the one a lot of the other guys were most excited about.' But that wasn't even Bimini's lowest point. While they can't say too much before the episode airs, they warn: 'There's a moment coming soon where it definitely started to get to me.' While many stars who boldly sign up for this relentless mental and physical battering either drop out or get thrown out by furious DS leaders Mark 'Billy' Billingham, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver, Bimini proves that the LGBTQ+ community possesses a unique strength and determination that refuses to be broken. 'A lot of people are coming up to me and saying, 'You've been doing it with such poise,' they said. 'I guess it goes back to the resilience of being queer.' 'If you can accept yourself in a world that doesn't accept you, then you can jump off a cliff, you know? I just never had a voice in my head telling me I was going to give up.' Regardless of how often the LGBTQ+ community's grit is tested, it remains constantly underestimated — especially when it comes to physical strength. Bimini's been dancing their whole life, performing cartwheels down the aisles of Tesco, totally unapologetic even when bullied at school. 'I was told I didn't have the genitals I have because I can do the splits,' they tell me, with an eye roll. But anyone who's been to a Bimini show can attest to their athleticism, gasping as they backflip in 10-inch heels and bend their legs behind their head without barely breaking a sweat. One DS even told them they were 'wasted in drag,' as though they don't already channel the full force of their body on stage. 'I don't know why drag queens are underestimated, considering what we put our bodies through. I told one of the DS staff to wear a pair of 10-inch Pleasers for 12 and a half hours and then see who thinks they're hard. 'We take to anything like a duck to water. We throw ourselves into it. So I really enjoyed the fact there were so many physical tests — this was once-in-a-lifetime stuff.' The physical challenges were a breeze. The real challenge was the constant anticipation of being shouted at or summoned by the DS. 'I only had two showers,' they say, mortified. 'It was gross. But you're on edge the whole time — you don't know if they're going to shout at you, so no one dared take a shower.' Thankfully, they emerged from the process unscathed — unlike some of their co-stars. X Factor star Lucy Spraggan tore her vulva so badly she required reconstructive surgery after filming. More Trending 'That was crazy — she's got a designer vagina now,' they tease. Instead, Bimini left with a deeper sense of self and more conviction in the strengths they always knew were there. 'It cemented me to my core,' they say. 'I'm Lara Croft, and no one is going to tell me otherwise.' Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins airs Sundays and Mondays at 9 p.m. on Channel 4 and is available to stream on All 4. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Who is left in the cast of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins? MORE: From Bingate to collapsing cake – the 5 most scandalous Bake Off moments MORE: Iconic soap Brookside to make major TV return 22 years after controversial axe
