John Barrowman lasted mere hours on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, deciding to sensationally quit after just one task, it can be revealed.
Torchwood star John, 57, was one of 15 stars, including Strictly Come Dancing 2024 star Pete Wicks and Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel Johnson, competing on the Channel 4 survival show.
The brutal reality programme follows celebrities undertaking military training and a series of nail-biting challenges – but it all proved too much for John who threw in the towel after just two hours.
Comedian Shazia Mirza, 51, told Metro.co.uk and other press ahead of Celebrity SAS’s launch the Arrowverse actor voluntarily left when they returned to camp after an ice bath challenge.
‘We all failed the task,’ she explained. Then we got back to camp and they made us go head first into an ice pack with our clothes on.
‘John Barrowman just thought, “F*** this. I don’t need to do this.” And he handed his arm band in after that.’
Rachel, 59, also confirmed John’s departure to the MailOnline and other press: ‘John left like two hours in.
‘He did the first day and then he voluntarily withdrew in camp. When we were doing the tour of the accommodation.’
Last year, it was reported the former Dancing on Ice judge had made an early exit, claims which he addressed on X.
In the tweet, John urged people to ‘watch the show and see the truth’ when it comes out on the show, and not to spread ‘unsubstantiated information’ when they ‘don’t know the facts’.
‘The cast of our series stand by each other,’ he added.
Celebrity SAS was due to be John’s TV comeback after he was accused of exposing himself to fellow stars on the set of Doctor Who in what was described as ‘inappropriate pranks’.
Two former runners alleged that while on set, John would ‘would get his genitals out on a regular basis’, although stressed that it was ‘larking about’ and not sexually predatory behaviour.
In 2022, he said on Good Morning Britain: ‘I think the public understands that it was tomfoolery, and it was a joke and silliness and wasn’t sexual harassment.’
John is not the only celebrity to have quit Celebrity SAS in a matter of hours.
Louie Spence was reportedly left shocked at the gruelling conditions and tough training regime the ‘recruits’ endure and walked away from the competition after just 24 hours.
A source said: ‘He seemed thrilled to be surrounded by all the hunky instructors, who all came from military backgrounds that required them to have an elite level of fitness.
‘But he was less enamoured with the regime they had to maintain, with Louie unable to keep up with them physically and mentally.’
The insider added to The Sun: ‘Despite this he left without any bad feeling and was grateful for the opportunity — even though his experience was a brief one.’
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Series six of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will air on Channel 4 every Sunday and Monday from September 22 at 9pm.
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