Latest news with #ex-SpecialForces
West Australian
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Celebrity SAS star Lucy Spraggan needs surgery after ‘ripping' intimate body part as stunt goes wrong
A competitor on the UK celebrity version of SAS: Who Dares Wins has sustained a rare and painful injury after a stunt on the show went horribly wrong. X Factor singer Lucy Spraggon was left bleeding and in agonising pain on the notoriously hardcore reality show and now will have to undergo reconstructive surgery. The show pits celebrities against each other, testing their resilience in a condensed version of a SAS selection course and is run by an elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers. Spraggon revealed the horrific extent of her injuries to The Sun , saying medics initially thought she had hurt her leg, but the reality was far worse. 'I ripped my labia - it was bad. That's not a common injury,' the 34-year-old said. 'Actually, genuinely, that's never been the same, so much so I'm having some surgery soon to correct it. 'I don't really know even what happened, I guess the harness was tight. 'I was like: 'This feels really bad. Surely there can't be anything.' And I looked and there was a tear, there was lots of blood and the doctor came over and I turned around because at that point you literally don't care about anything. Dignity has gone. It was like: 'Oh my God, I thought it was your leg.' And I was like: 'No, no, it's not!'' It wasn't the only time she was injured on the gruelling series. Spraggon said she also nearly knocked out one of her teeth, got a black eye and fainted. 'I had the filler under my eyes and when my face hit the sea so hard my filler migrated to the side of my face,' she said. 'By that point I was just in pain the filler didn't migrate back, when I got home I had to have it dissolved.' Despite the injuries, Spraggon has called being on the show a 'life goal'. 'I met some brilliantly brave and inspiring people and took part in things I never imagined I would get to do,' she wrote on Instagram. 'A truly unforgettable experience!'
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Reality star needs surgery after ‘ripping' intimate area
A competitor on the UK celebrity version of SAS: Who Dares Wins has sustained a rare and painful injury after a stunt on the show went horribly wrong. X Factor singer Lucy Spraggon was left bleeding and in agonising pain on the notoriously hardcore reality show and now will have to undergo reconstructive surgery. The show pits celebrities against each other, testing their resilience in a condensed version of a SAS selection course and is run by an elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers. Spraggon revealed the horrific extent of her injuries to The Sun, saying medics initially thought she had hurt her leg, but the reality was far worse. 'I ripped my labia - it was bad. That's not a common injury,' the 34-year-old said. 'Actually, genuinely, that's never been the same, so much so I'm having some surgery soon to correct it. 'I don't really know even what happened, I guess the harness was tight. 'I was like: 'This feels really bad. Surely there can't be anything.' And I looked and there was a tear, there was lots of blood and the doctor came over and I turned around because at that point you literally don't care about anything. Dignity has gone. It was like: 'Oh my God, I thought it was your leg.' And I was like: 'No, no, it's not!'' Despite the injuries, Lucy Spraggon has called being on the show a 'life goal'. Credit: Instagram / Instagram It wasn't the only time she was injured on the gruelling series. Spraggon said she also nearly knocked out one of her teeth, got a black eye and fainted. 'I had the filler under my eyes and when my face hit the sea so hard my filler migrated to the side of my face,' she said. 'By that point I was just in pain the filler didn't migrate back, when I got home I had to have it dissolved.' Despite the injuries, Spraggon has called being on the show a 'life goal'. 'I met some brilliantly brave and inspiring people and took part in things I never imagined I would get to do,' she wrote on Instagram. 'A truly unforgettable experience!'
Graziadaily
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Inside The New Location Where Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins Is Filmed
Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is back. 14 celebrities are put through their paces in Wales, taking on TV's toughest show. The show sees your favourite stars from the world of sport, TV and music take on a series of intense tasks to see if they have what it takes to pass the Special Forces selection process. Previous celebrity contestants to have passed the test include, Wes Nelson, Maisie Smith, Alexandra Burke and Ferne McCann. Celebrity SAS features ex-Special Forces soldiers who test the celebrities as they teach them key survival skills. 'There will be no room for mistakes as the celebrities recruits face the hardest course yet in the most gruelling stages of SAS selection,' Channel 4 told the press. The ex-Special Forces soldiers include, Chief Instructor Billy Billingham (who has experience being a bodyguard for the likes of Angelina Jolie and Kate Moss) and his team Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. The show is filmed in Wales 'the home of the first phase of SAS selection'. Episode 1 kicked off on Sunday 3rd August, set on Anglesey beach in North Wales. Previous series have been filmed in Vietnam, Chile and Morocco. In an interview on BBC Radio Wales, Chief Instructor Billy described the new filming location as 'beautiful, of course, but it's unforgiving.' You can have four seasons is one day' he added. Just what the celebs will want aye... Afia Kufuor writes celeb news for Grazia, Heat, Closer, Bella and Yours – and loves nothing more than a good interview. From red carpets to radio mics, she's always asking the questions we're all thinking. Off duty, she runs @DontPopThatSpot, a safe space for acne-prone huns online and IRL.
Metro
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Everyone in the Celebrity SAS 2025 Cast as hit-show returns tonight
Fourteen famous faces from the world of music, entertainment and sport are being called upon to take part in the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, premiering tonight. The elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers – Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his team of Directing Staff (DS) – Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver – will be taking the celebrities to Wales, the home of the first phase of SAS Selection. There, they will be stripped of their home comforts, families, agents and social media. Together, the DS will push the celebrity recruits even further and teach them the key skills to survive. There will be no room for mistakes as these celebrity recruits face the hardest course yet, in the most gruelling stages of SAS selection. So, without further ado, let's take a look at who will be made to suffer in Channel 4's hit series ahead of the series' highly anticipated return tonight. Former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa will certainly be looking to put his 'beast nickname' to the test on the show. Speaking ahead of the series, he 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.' Fellow former footballer Troy Deeney will also be taking part in the series. The ex-Watford striker 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.' Conor Benn is renown for his brutal punches in the ring, how will he fare in the SAS challenge? The sportsman 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.' Louie Spence is an icon of reality television, but how will this translate to the intensity of SAS: Who Dares Wins? Asked ahead of the series, he revealed: '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.' Former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri is set for a dramatic change from her daily life as she takes on the course. Discussing the opportunity, she commented: 'I'm very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. 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.' Traitors winner Harry Clark has already featured on Celebrity SAS, so how will he fare this time round? 'Growing up, I'd watch people close to me be in the SAS, which always inspired me,' he said. '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.' Hannah Spearritt was an original member of the pop group S Club and is known for playing Kandice Taylor in EastEnders. Speaking to Channel 4, she said: 'I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there's always improvement there. There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it's something that I will have for life. '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 that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.' Former glamour model and media personality Rebecca Loos sees SAS as a once in a lifetime opportunity. She claimed: '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.' Drag Queen Bimini Bon-Boulash has been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Talking about how this translates to SAS, she explained: '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.' Adam Collard is one of three Love Islanders taking part in Celebrity SAS. Ahead of the series, 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.' Michaella became famous for being a drug mule, but now as an author she has a further point to prove about herself. Speaking ahead of the show, 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.' Lucy Spraggan is used to rocking on stage, but how will she fare on the course? 'I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course,' she said. '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.' However, she's also detailed how X Factor creator Simon Cowell, who walked her down the aisle during her wedding last year, was left fuming while playing a role on the show. Despite Simon not being a recruit, he appears in the show when he calls Lucy to try and help motivate her. 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry',' she shared when speaking to The Sun. In the interview Lucy also said the 65-year-old considered appearing on the show himself, but she was worried he'd 'die'. 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience,' she said. British rapper Lady Leshurr is another celebrity who is looking forward to how the course is going to change her. Speaking to Channel 4, she told: '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.' As the third former Love Island star to take on the course, could Chloe Burrows reign supreme in Wales? More Trending Commenting on the challenge ahead of her, she said: 'On SAS: Who Dares Wins, everything is completely stripped back. You have absolutely nothing. And I want the course to kind of remind me of that, because I've got a bit lost in myself and the industry. I want to feel a little bit grounded. I want to get a sense of it. I want to push myself, and I want to get a sense of achievement. I want to feel proud of myself for whatever I put into it. '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.' Airing across eight one-hour episodes, the seventh series of Celebrity SAS can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday on Channel 4, starting on August 3. A version of this article was first published on July 22, 2025. 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: 'One of the smartest shows on television': Your favourite TV spy thrillers MORE: Channel 4 comedy branded 'a gift' to be greatest comeback of 2025 MORE: Rebecca Loos' unexpected reaction to 'harsh' David Beckham interrogation on Celeb SAS
The Star
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Park Sung-hoon says it was fun to film Squid Game & Queen Of Tears at same time
Hyun-ju (right) or Player 120 is a highly trained ex-Special Forces soldier. Photo: Handout Park Sung-hoon recalls that, for a while, he was viewed unfavourably by the public. That's because he had just come off playing two particularly unlikeable characters – first in The Glory (2022), then in Queen Of Tears (2024). In both dramas, the characters he played made life miserable for the leading ladies. 'I played two villains back-to-back, and whenever I went out to eat, some people would actually be mad at me for those roles,' the 40-year-old actor tells StarLifestyle with a laugh over Zoom. Fortunately, things began to change when the second season of Squid Game premiered at the end of 2024. In it, Park portrays Hyun-ju, also known as Player 120 – a highly trained ex-Special Forces soldier who was discharged after coming out as a trans woman. She enters the deadly competition to win the cash prize in order to foot her transition surgery. 'I'm really happy that I have played Hyun-Ju, who is such a cool character. She kind of turned everything around for me and made people like me,' says Park fondly of his character. 'Actually, I was shooting Squid Game and Queen Of Tears almost simultaneously, and it was really fun for me, going back and forth between two totally opposite characters,' he adds. Hyun-ju quickly became a fan-favourite thanks to her courage and always trying to do the right thing, even in dangerous situations. Park Sung-hoon says his character in 'Squid Game' is a cool person. Photo: Handout However, when the series premiered, there were criticisms about casting a male actor instead of a transgender actor for the role of Hyun-ju. Series creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk told an American outlet that he did anticipate that this matter would crop up. 'In the beginning we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor... When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans,' he explained to Entertainment Weekly . Nonetheless, Hyun-ju stands out among the players in Squid Game especially in the scenes where she's interacting with Geum-ja (Player 149, played by Kang Ae-sim) and Jun-hee (Player 222, played by Jo Yu-ri). According to Park, the camaraderie among cast members helped strengthen their on-screen chemistry, even though they were always filming intense, emotionally charged scenes. 'We often talked about our performances, and about life in general. After wrapping for the day, we'd sometimes go for drinks just to relax and chat,' he says. 'I think the bond formed really naturally. Since most scenes were shot in chronological order, we didn't have to force the chemistry – it built up on its own, with emotions stacking scene by scene. 'So even though some scenes were emotionally draining, the connection made it all feel easier.' South Korean stars Kang Ae-sim (lef) and Park Sung-hoon bonded while making the show. Photo: AFP Next up for Park is a new drama opposite Han Ji-min, set to premiere in 2026, an entertainment portal reported. Only earlier this year, he was dropped from another K-drama, The Tyrant's Chef , after receiving backlash for uploading on social media an image of a porn video parodying Squid Game . Reflecting on the Squid Game experience, Park says: 'Over the past few months, I've been doing promotions overseas and met so many people – it's been fascinating to see how many of them already know me and welcome me so warmly. 'It still hasn't fully sunk in, especially since I look a bit different now with a new hairstyle, but people still recognise me instantly. 'It's been such a cool experience. And I really hope it opens up more opportunities for me to be part of global projects in the future.' Squid Game is available on Netflix.
