Latest news with #Shark!CelebrityInfestedWater
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters 'bores' viewers despite shark biting star
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters has failed to impress fans, as the show was labelled rather dull – despite one celebrity being bitten by a shark in the first episode. The new series Shark! Celebrity Infested Water kicked off on Monday night with the celebrities getting stuck into the ITV series, trying to promote the importance of shark preservation. In the very first part of the show, the celebs were informed that they would be cage diving with bull sharks later that day in the tropical waters surrounding Bimini, in the Bahamas. Of the famous faces, including Motherland star Lucy Punch, Comedian Sir Lenny Henry, McFly star Dougie Poynter, and Countdown's Rachel Riley, it was Call the Midwife actress Helen George. '#SharkCelebrityInfestedWaters – cumbersome title. Good lineup. It's not a schlocky competition-type show and I'm not really sure why it's happening. So far, not particularly fun or interesting… I want it to ramp up a gear,' said MatthewRimmer on X. 'This must be the worst piece of telly have ITV have ever made, and THAT is saying something #sharkcelebrityinfestedwaters,' said DylanDylan1909. 'Why are they putting the poor sharks through the trauma of these celebrities? #sharkcelebrityinfestedwaters,' said CallMe_Governor. 'Only 20 minutes in and I'm bored already!' said GrantSRivers. 'This has all the hallmarks of another 'Genius Game' for itv #sharkcelebrityinfestedwaters,' said PJDavies1962, comparing it to the negatively reviewed game show for ITV. Towards the end of the episode, Ross was bitten by a lemon shark, and the group had to retreat from the sea as the instructors decided that things had got a little bit intense. Although the comedian was unscathed, with the shark only nipping at his wetsuit, the celebs were shaken by the event, which had escalated so quickly. Fans were unfazed by this moment, but pointing out some of the stronger parts of the episodes, viewers praised ITV for making adjustments to the experience so Ade Adepitan, who is physically disabled, was able to participate fully. 'I love how @AdeAdepitan is making sure that this show is making reasonable adjustments for people with a disability so they can face sharks too!' said ciaraspinkpod. Much of the episode focused on Helen. Within the first few minutes of the show, Helen admitted to the camera that she wasn't just afraid of sharks, she also had a fear of water and struggles to keep her head underwater. Helen and the other celebs revealed that she was surprised to confront sharks on the first day, assuming there would be a warm-up period before they actually got in the water with the sharks, and was the last celebrity to get in the sea. Later that evening, the celebrities cheered as Helen joined them for drinks and toasted to her bravery. 'I'm like Helen George in that I'm scared of water etc, and I most definitely couldn't have done some of what she did so kudos to her. #sharkcelebrityinfestedwaters,' said XxLadyClaireXx on X. Ahead of the episode, Rachel spoke to Metro about her experience on the show and mentioned Helen's bravery in the series. More Trending 'What's lovely about the show is we were a team and she's the strongest person I know,' says Rachel. 'She's had the biggest achievement out of all of us so we're all really proud of her, to have the strength of character and strength of mind to not only overcome getting your face in the water, but to go out in the open ocean, take your mask off underwater, she did so much.' View More » Shark! Celebrity Infested Water is available to view on ITVX. 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: What is Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters? All you need to know about ITV's death-defying show MORE: Iconic 90s show featuring TV legends finally free to stream MORE: James Martin reveals extra precautions to protect himself after London attack
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rachel Riley says she'd rather 'swim with killer sharks' than do Strictly again
Countdown queen, Rachel Riley, may have met her husband, Pasha Kovalev, on Strictly Come Dancing, but she inisits there's no way she'd go back on the show Rachel Riley reckons she'd rather swim with killer sharks than return to Strictly Come Dancing. The Countdown queen, 39, met her husband, Pasha Kovalev, on the BBC dance show back in 2013, before welcoming their daughters, Maven, five, and Noa, three, into the world. However, Rachel, who has signed up to ITV's new reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Water, in which a team of plucky stars face their fears and swim with tiger sharks - without a cage - says there's no way she'd strut her stuff on the dance floor again because it left her feeling 'panic-stricken'. Speaking about the prospect of slipping into sequins for the second time, she told Metro: "If you asked me tomorrow to go swimming with great whites, I'd be there. If you asked me to do Strictly again, no way." Admitting she felt 'panicked' on the BBC show, she continued: "The thing about Strictly is that the music comes on and we panic, whereas with the sharks you can take your time to get down. Rationally, you shouldn't be more scared of something that can eat you than dancing on telly. But we're not always rational, are we?" Despite being in no rush to go back to Strictly, Rachel found love with professional dancer Pasha on the show, who she was partnered with during her time on Strictly Come Dancing. The couple got together in 2014, and surprised friends and family with a whirlwind Las Vegas wedding in 2019. "So, we were never bothered about getting married, but then we just were like 'shall we just get married' once were were having the baby," Rachel previously told the Express. After Strictly, the maths whizz is now dipping her toe into a very different pool as she's joined by a star-studded cast, which includes Sir Lenny Henry, comedian Ross Noble, and Amandaland's Lucy Punch in Shark!, which starts tonight. The gang are guided by leading shark experts, including Paul de Gelder – a former marine whose arm and leg were tragically ripped off by a bull shark in 2009 - but now devotes his life to protecting the species that almost killed him. Proudly showing off his prosthetic limbs as he welcomes the gobsmacked celebrities onto the boat, he tells them they'll be starting their journey in the water with bull sharks. Admitting she's thought she'd be eased in gently 'in a swimming pool with starfish', Rachel said: "I was expecting swimming pools with starfish to start with. "Pasha and I've been to the Galapagos before, and we saw a bright orange thing in the water, thinking someone had dropped a life jacket, but it was actually a sea lion bitten in half trying to get out of the water." * SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters starts tonight at 9pm on ITV
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Rachel Riley: 'I'd rather swim with great white sharks than do Strictly again'
For Rachel Riley, after competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, there are few things more daunting than being thrown around the floor by her now-husband, Pasha Kovalev, to the mercy of millions of viewers. Her courage is being put to the test, however, in ITV's new series Shark! Celebrity Infested Water – an unexpected gear change in reality TV. As it says on the tin, stars are chucked into the water with sharks of increasing size, eventually leading to the moment where they'll pluck up the bravery to come nose to nose with one of the world's most dangerous apex predators, a Tiger shark, without a cage. Speaking to Metro ahead of tonight's first episode, I can confirm Rachel remains fully-limbed and unscathed. She insists that confronting the animal notorious for striking more fear into humans than anything else is water off a duck's back after being scrutinised by Craig Revel Horwood on national television. 'If you asked me tomorrow to go swimming with great whites, I'd be there,' she says. 'If you asked me to do Strictly again, no way. 'The thing about Strictly is that the music comes on and we panic, whereas with the sharks you can take your time to get down. Rationally, you shouldn't be more scared of something that can eat you than dancing on telly. But we're not always rational, are we?' Tapping into the rationality of shark-wary viewers is the crux of Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters. The premise hasn't come out of nowhere, it's marking the 50th anniversary of Jaws – Stephen Spielberg's horror that's caused me to have many sudden panics in a swimming pool, let alone the sea. The truth is, sharks are relatively harmless. If you're confident enough to get in a car, you should be able to gleefully paddle in the sea when the road is by far more likely to kill you. Rachel is joined by a star-studded cast that includes Sir Lenny Henry, comedian Ross Noble, and Amandaland's Lucy Punch. They're mentored by leading shark experts, including Paul de Gelder – a former marine whose arm and leg were ripped off by a bull shark in 2009 but now devotes his life to protecting the species that almost killed him. He welcomes the cast onto the boat, proudly shows off his prosthetic limbs and tells the celebs they'll be starting their journey in the water with bull sharks. 'I was expecting swimming pools with starfish to start with,' admits Rachel. 'Pasha and I've been to the Galapagos before, and we saw a bright orange thing in the water, thinking someone had dropped a life jacket, but it was actually a sea lion bitten in half trying to get out of the water. 'Its flesh was so fluorescent it looked orange, and then this bull shark came and finished it off.' Being witness to a shark attack first-hand did nothing to deter Rachel from agreeing to take part, though – far from it. Of all the stars, the Countdown presenter is easily the most excited to be there – jealous, even, of her teammates whenever she was on land. 'I just had constant shark envy,' she says. 'Every time someone was in the water and we were waiting to go and there was a sighting of something, I was like, 'I want to be in the water!' 'There was one second where I even said it out loud, 'if Pasha could see me now, he'd be screaming at me to get out. I'm pushing my luck now.'' In the very first free swim of the process, the group paddles with eight-foot lemon sharks. Noble, among the calmest members of the pack, is actually bitten. As I mention this, Rachel laughs: 'It was funny at the time. We thought it was just a camera bump, and then you look at the footage, and no, it really was a bite.' 'I mean, he survived,' she smiles nonchalantly. And she's right, the shark's teeth barely puncture his wetsuit. Still, though, it's a reminder that one wrong move with a bigger animal and the damage could be far more serious – even deadly. Preparing to fly out to the Bahamas, Rachel even wrote a will. 'As soon as you have babies, you're supposed to have a will, so this was the proper impetus. Right at the start of this process, they told us we were building up to dive with Tiger sharks, which have been found with whole suits of armour in their stomach and that there had been a fatality in that area from Tiger sharks in the last year. So even though you've got all the precautions, they're still wild sharks.' The celebrity's levels of trepidation to be in the water with sharks varies. On one end of the spectrum, there's Rachel, who has no reservations to dive straight in, and on the other, you have Call The Midwife's Helen George, who hasn't even put her head under water in over 20 years out of sheer fear. Initially, it appears Helen is not cut out for free-swimming with sharks or even being near the water at all. Without giving too much away, her unshakable terror is the heart of the series, watching a woman discover she's much more capable than she gives herself credit for. It's a surprisingly moving watch. More Trending 'What's lovely about the show is we were a team and she's the strongest person I know,' says Rachel. 'She's had the biggest achievement out of all of us so we're all really proud of her, to have the strength of character and strength of mind to not only overcome getting your face in the water, but to go out in the open ocean, take your mask off underwater, she did so much.' Months after filming, Rachel is still clearly giddy with excitement. Only time will tell if she managed to come up and close to a Tiger shark, but the experience has definitely changed her. 'I've got the bug,' she says. I want to see orcas and manta rays next. I've always wanted to see manta rays, it's like seeing aliens when you're going underwater. I just definitely want to do more diving.' View More » Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters airs tonight at 9pm on ITV. 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.
