Five stars quit Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins after reality show turns brutal

It’s already proving to be a chaotic series for Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, with a whopping five contestants withdrawing early doors.

The reality series puts stars through their paces, dragging them away from their luxuries to see if they’re capable of passing the notoriously difficult SAS Selection process.

Whether it be an endurance challenge or facing a fear of heights, the recruits have nowhere to hide, as they must push through mental and physical exhaustion under the watchful eyes of instructors Billy Billingham and Rudy Reyes.

This time around, however, it appears to have all got a bit much, leading to several drop-outs among the 14-strong lineup, which comprises celebs hailing from both the UK and Australia going head-to-head.

Earlier this week, Married At First Sight star Jessika Power, 31, threw in the towel after just two episodes, breaking down in tears following the staff’s relentless demands.

First forced to do press-ups and burpees in the dark, the celebs then had to jump into freezing water and complete a gruelling circuit.

‘If I catch anyone cheating, we will do the whole thing again,’ Mark shouted, to which Jessika admitted: ‘I can’t do this; I’m going to have to withdraw. I can’t do this. I’m sorry, I can’t do this.’

While defeated, having initially said she’d feel ‘disappointed in [herself]’ should she hand her armband in, it appears the TV personality started a trend.

Sunday night’s episode will see a further three celebs call it a day, the first being 50-year-old Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who almost faints during a task.

Sources have since said she didn’t realise just how ‘tough’ the process would be, while Natalie herself wrote on Instagram that the tasks pushed her ‘beyond limits’.

Following in Natalie’s footsteps, influencer Jack Joseph, 25, also quits tonight after climbing 27 flights of stairs.

‘I’m not physically fit enough, to be honest,’ he says. ‘I’m done.’

Similarly, social media star Cole Anderson-James, 28, feels he is not ‘mentally strong enough,’ resulting in his withdrawal.

And finally, Home and Away actor Axle Whitehead, 45, has his fate decided by medics, who send him home after he lost sensation in his arm, which reduced him to tears.

Speaking about the string of series 8 withdrawals, a source told The Sun: ‘The celebrities were dropping like flies.’

As for the recruits still persevering for Team UK, Love Islanders Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen, rugby player Ben Cohen, Gladiator Toby Olubi, and cricketer Graeme Swann remain.

For Team Australia, the surviving members are former cricketer Brad Hodge, swimmer Emily Seebohm, and Neighbours star Ryan Moloney.

Completing their nation’s group is Olympic swimmer and decorated athlete Mack Horton, who made headlines after wetting himself just 10 minutes into the first challenge.

They’ll all be hoping to complete the course just as three celebrities did last year. They were ex-footballer Troy Deeney, media personality Michaella McCollum, and X Factor star Lucy Spraggan.

Speaking about why she decided to take part, Dani, who thankfully recorded SAS before injuring her foot in Strictly Come Dancing training, said she was a ‘massive fan of the show’.

‘I’ve always watched it and wondered if I could do it. I want to put myself to the test. I’m nuts, but I think I will be good at it,’ she said.