Latest news with #MarkBillingham
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins full line up revealed with ex Premier League footballer, pop icon and THREE Love Islanders
THE full line up for the upcoming series of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins has been revealed. Viewers will soon see a new group of famous faces put through a tough quasi military training course. 16 Series seven's recruits include an ex-Premier League footballer and multiple Love Island alums. Contestants can be eliminated by the directing staff or choose to withdraw themselves. Those who are still present at the end are declared the winners. Launching on August 3, the latest outing will be aired across eight one-hour episodes. These can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday from 9pm on Channel 4. Returning are Head Instructor Mark "Billy" Billingham, accompanied by Directing Staff (DS) Jason "Foxy" Fox, Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. Let's take a look at who is heading to Wales to take up the challenge. Tasha Ghouri Tasha, 26, shot to fame after appearing on Love Island in 2022, finishing fourth alongside Andrew LePage. Last year, the model and dancer competed in Strictly Come Dancing where she reached the final. Tasha said: "I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. Watch as Celeb SAS Who Dares wins star Bianca Gascoigne QUITS show right at the very end of series "But I also want to show people that having a disability makes you no less able - we can also push ourselves, and do crazy challenges if we put our mind to it. 'I really want to be able to actually walk away from the course feeling like I've accomplished what I wanted to do and I want to look back and think, wow, I did that, I'm proud of myself. "I'll be doing this for the people who have doubted me. "I want prove to them that they can't bring me down. I can fight my way to the end.' Harry Clark 16 Former soldier Harry won series two of BBC smash-hit The Traitors in 2024. Harry more recently starred in BBC 's Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps alongside six other celebrities. On joining Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins, he said: "Growing up, I'd watch people close to me be in the SAS, which always inspired me. "This show was a different experience to what I had imagined but I always love a challenge and it proves you're always learning new things about yourself.' Lady Leshurr 16 Real name Melesha Katrina O'Garro, Lady Leshurr is a rapper, singer and producer. The 33-year-old has also appeared in Dancing on Ice, The Celebrity Circle and Celebrity MasterChef. She said: "I think this course is not only going to make me become the best version of myself, but it's going to make me the strongest I've ever been. "It's going to make me realise so much about myself that I've kept in. "It's going to push, motivate and inspire me. It's really going to make or break me. "But regardless, it's going to teach me a lesson about myself that I can definitely work on.' Louie Spence Dancer, presenter and choreographer Louie, 56, starred in Sky series Pineapple Dance Studios. He competed in Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 and was formerly a judge on Dancing on Ice. He said: "This course I hope can walk away feeling I've actually really achieved something here, that I've really pushed myself to the edge of my boundaries and put myself in a position which is beyond something I could have even imagined a year ago. "This is a course that is really going to challenge me. This is different to anything I've ever been part of before. "There's no fluff, there's no glitter, there's no getting myself out of a situation with a quick bit of wit. "It's really refreshing for me to do something like this…and, hopefully come out a much better person, both physically and mentally.' Hannah Spearitt 16 Hannah, 44, was an original member of the popular music group S Club. Also an actress, she has appeared in shows including EastEnders, Casualty and Primeval. She said: "However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. "Maybe I'll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I'm stronger than I think I am…it's finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. "We live in this world where it's so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and…for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something I can hopefully pass on to my kids." Adebayo "The Beast" Akinfenwa The 43-year-old former striker bagged over 200 goals in an impressive football career. He played for teams including Swansea City, Leyton Orient and Millwall, among others. Discussing joining Celeb SAS, Adebayo said: 'I've asked myself time and time again - am I built for the Special Forces? "One of the reasons why I'm doing this is to find out. "I would like to think that, put me in most situations, most environments, I'll be able to put my best foot forward, get out of my comfort zone, hit my responsibilities and do what I need to do! "I think that's what I want to get out of taking part on this course.' Conor Benn 16 28-year-old Conor is a professional boxer and son of legendary boxer Nigel Benn. Conor played his dad in the films Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella and Riser of the Footsoldier: Origins. He said: "Although boxing is hard, I feel like this is going to be a completely different challenge and I always want to challenge myself. "I just want to see and experience the toughness and the grittiness you need to pass this course.' Chloe Burrows 16 Chloe was a contestant on Love Island back in 2021, placing as a runner-up. She has also appeared in Celebrity MasterChef, Celebs Go Dating and Scared of the Dark. Chloe said: "I think the course is going to give me a bit of confidence. If I even achieve half of the course, then I can walk out and be like, yeah, guess what? I did that on my own. No makeup, no hot shower. I'm very capable…I would love to come out and just feel really pleased with myself and really confident in myself. "I want to feel like I've tried my absolute hardest and that I had nothing left in the tank…I don't want to leave half-heartedly. "If I leave, it's because I physically cannot do anymore, which is fair, but I just want to know that I've tried my hardest.' Adam Collard Adam, 29, has appeared in Love Island twice - featuring in both series four and series eight. Meanwhile, the fitness coach also starred in Celebs Go Dating in 2023. He said: 'Hopefully during the course, the DS will peel back a few layers because I'm stubborn as hell. "And maybe I need to be broken down to then go and sort some stuff out. 'I'm doing it for the little boy who hated himself and couldn't do anything and was the last to get picked in everything. "And from an emotional point of view, I'm hoping that this spits out a better person. 'I love a challenge. And I really think this course is exactly what I want to really tap into my fitness, the mental strength, the resilience, and see if I've got the grit to finish and go all the way.' Troy Deeney 16 Former striker Troy, 37, captained Watford to Premier League promotion for 2014-2015. His playing career also included stints at Birmingham City and Forest Green Rovers. He said: "I'm at a crossroads in my life, so I'm hoping the course can highlight the good and bad in me and hopefully we'll see at the end, that the good outweighs the bad. I'm sure the DS will get me irritated very quickly but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.' Rebecca Loos Dutch former glamour model Rebecca, 48, has appeared in several reality television series. Some example include The Farm, Celebrity Love Island and The X Factor: Battle of the Stars. She said: "I honestly don't know whether I am mentally strong enough but one of the reasons I want to do this course is because I want to find out whether I'm able to stick it through mentally. "I think it's going to be really, really tough. This is by far the toughest thing I've ever done. "But I want to do this course because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to do an SAS training course. "It's going to be really interesting to see how far I can go and how strong I'm able to keep myself.' Lucy Spraggan Singer-songwriter Lucy, 33, first gained prominence on The X Factor back in 2012. In a notable achievement, she became the show's first contestant to land a Top 40 single and album ahead of the live shows. Namely, her independently released album Top Room at the Zoo. She said: 'I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course. I have been through quite a lot in my life, and I've done a lot of work to navigate what that left behind, and I really hope that I can apply it to the course, and make it all the way to the end. 'I've always wanted to do this course, and what I love about this course is the sheer pressure it puts on a human being, that you will just not get anywhere else in life. "And I've had pressure, I've had so many forms of pressure, nothing like this, so I really just genuinely want to see how far my brain can go.' Bimini 16 Drag queen Bimini - or Bimini Bon-Boulash - was a runner up in series two of Ru Paul's Drag Race. They said: "I want to do this just to prove to myself that I'm capable of anything I put my mind to. "I want to prove to myself that I can do it. No glam, no red carpets, no magazine covers. "This is literally just going to be me to my core and I am excited about it but I don't think the course is ready for Bimini. "People in the UK love to debate gender like it's a concept, not a lived experience. "It gets reduced to headlines and toilet talk. I'm doing this to remind them that behind every opinion is a human being. "The course, the SAS and the Army have got a very masculine stereotype and I've got both elements of masculine and feminine and that's my superpower. "Vulnerable, raw, and stronger than ever. This bleached rat tail is gonna f**k it up!' One of the Peru 2, Michaella McCollum is also among those taking up the challenge. She said: "The level of resilience I learned from being in prison in Peru and knowing how important that mindset is, will definitely help get me through the course, so I'm going to need to use my mental strength to help me along the way. "In Peru, I was completely stripped back to the rawest version of myself…and I know in this course, it will have a similar effect. "I will get to see the real me again and I want to challenge myself to see how capable I am. "I don't know if I'm physically fit enough to complete the course but I have good mental strength.' Meanwhile, 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.'
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Trust has never been so difficult in this weeks crime fiction: Believe by S. M. Govett, What the Night Brings by Mark Billingham, This House of Burning Bones by Stuart MacBride
Believe is available now from the Mail Bookshop Believe by S. M. Govett (Michael Joseph £16.99, 384pp) Ten years ago Natalie Campbell formally accused her boss – at the law firm where she worked – of sexually assaulting her. The case went to trial and he was acquitted. But he had a heart attack the next day and died, leaving his widow furious with Natalie. Now, a decade later, Natalie is trying to keep her sanity while getting anonymous letters accusing her of being a liar and a whore. When her husband Ryan is accused of rape by Alice, a young work colleague, Natalie's life is thrown into the maelstrom again. Then Alice is found dead and Natalie's husband is the prime suspect. Natalie wants to believe him, but can she? After a deceptively slow start, this debut from a former solicitor rapidly transforms into one of the finest crime stories of the year so far. Govett is a name to watch. What the Night Brings by Mark Billingham (Sphere £22, 432pp) Four uniformed police officers – two men and two women – are standing guard at the entrance to a cul-de-sac, while armed police arrest a suspect. DI Tom Thorne watches them enviously as they eat doughnuts, as he hasn't eaten since yesterday. The doughnuts are a gift from a bystander – with a note saying, 'Thanks for everything you do'. But within 24 hours, three of the uniformed officers are dead and the fourth is in a coma. They have been poisoned. So begins Billingham's latest novel, his 25th of the past 25 years, which underlines what a magnificent crime writer he is. The officers' deaths are the start of a vendetta against the police, but the plot also discloses the horrors that can lurk within the force. Superb storytelling. This House of Burning Bones by Stuart MacBride (Macmillan £22, 640pp) It is high summer in Scotland's Granite City, Aberdeen, and the population is sweltering, but crime is rife. A peeping tom (and potential rapist), who is hiding in an expensive flat to attack the owner, witnesses a detective hit her and stuff her inert body into the boot of his car, but he does not report the crime. Meanwhile a 19-year-old man, who might be responsible for an arson attack on a migrant hotel, escapes the police by jumping out of a window and stealing an ice-cream van before plunging it into the River Don. The police are struggling to cope, as many are suffering from a rampant illness. This is the 20th outing in 20 years for MacBride's DI Logan McRae and it is as fierce, funny and compelling as its predecessors.
