A woman who endured domestic violence is on a mission to prove she is stronger than ever – on SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Tough Nicola McGrath jumped at the chance to take on TV’s most challenging show to prove to herself that her past has not beaten her.
Her resolve comes after she survived ten years of abusive relationships.
Nicola, 40, said: “The violence started when I was 15. I picked really bad men. I was head-butted, pushed down the stairs and I had car doors slammed on my legs.
“One time I was dragged along a carpet and ended up with carpet burns on my face.
“When you’re going through that you keep it quiet. You’re embarrassed and you don’t think people will believe you.
“I was really weak, really vulnerable and I let people walk all over me.
“I had no confidence. Domestic violence completely takes over your life.”
Civil servant Nicola hit breaking point when she was beaten while six months pregnant.
She recalled: “He kicked me in my back, punched me and then started to strangle me and then dragged me across the room by my hair. I was screaming for help.
"I ended up in hospital. But that was good in a way because it meant I had to say something.
“I plucked up the courage to tell my family and leave the relationship.
“My parents helped so much. Without them I’d have gone back to the relationship. I’ve also had mental health issues, which I’ve managed to tackle. I learned to love myself and built up my confidence.
“Then I met the man who is now my husband. He treats me like a princess. He is the sweetest gentleman you could meet.”
Fifteen years on from her bad relationships, she is a fearless mum-of-three.
And as soon as she saw that women could now compete on SAS: Who Dares Wins, she applied to take part.
Nicola, from Taunton in Somerset, said: “I signed up because I wanted to prove to my children how strong I am and put an end to everything I’ve been through.
“I’ve been looking for a challenge to help me prove that. I also wanted to show myself how brave I can be.
“There is a stigma surrounding domestic abuse. It takes a lot of courage to walk away. So if my story can help even one person that would be amazing.”
On the new series, 25 recruits are put through hell in the wilds of Scotland by former special forces soldiers led by Ant Middleton.
Nicola said: “Some tasks we had to do were horrible. There were lots of times when I wanted to give up. But I was doing it for my children.
“And I want to show people that you can turn your life around. I’m so much stronger now than I was. I’d never let anybody lay a finger on me now. I’d stand my ground.
“I don’t have any anger for the men that were bad to me. I just hope they got help.”
- SAS: Who Dares Wins starts tonight at 9pm on C4.
