S Club 7 singer Hannah Spearritt and former TV dancer Louie Spence have withdrawn from Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in the first episode of the latest series.
The Channel 4 military reality show opened with the 14 celebrity recruits hooded and standing on a breakwater, before they were asked for their identities by chief instructor Billy Billingham – who told many of the celebrities “don’t grin at me”.
He then led them on two tasks, the first to plunge 26ft into the water and swim to intercept a boat, which picked them up, and the second to rescue three hostages from a building before blowing it up with a grenade.
Before the second challenge began, Spearritt, 44, handed over her number tag to directing staff, telling them “I’m done, I’m sorry, I’ve reached a point” – and in a pre-recorded interview which was played after her withdrawal, she said “I don’t think I’ll go on the first day” adding she “wouldn’t forgive myself”.
During the task, Spence, who is best known for Sky TV show Pineapple Dance Studios, threw a grenade into the building while it still had two hostages in it, and afterwards told the directing staff he wished to withdraw, and was given a second chance to put his armband back on, but turned it down.
Spence said: “I want to do an immediate withdrawal, I just don’t have the conviction, and I feel as though I’m not dedicated enough.”
He was told that he “hadn’t even started”, but Spence replied “that’s what I mean”.
After the first task, former model Rebecca Loos was pulled in by directing staff after she gave up during the swimming challenge, who asked her to open up on her alleged affair with footballer Sir David Beckham, who she worked for as a personal assistant, during the interrogation.
In an interview before the first task, former Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash said the show would be “a piece of piss” after growing up as a queer person in Norfolk.
After the second task, former Watford striker Troy Deeney, who also threw a grenade into the building before clearing the hostages, was pulled in by the instructors, where he opened up on physical abuse he and his mother received from his late father.
The show sees celebrities enter SAS training, where they are not eliminated and are instead culled by the directing staff or able to withdraw themselves, with those who remain at the end declared the winners.
The rest of the celebrity recruits are made up of ex-drug mule Michaella McCollum, former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa, Strictly Come Dancing 2025 runner-up Tasha Ghouri, former The Traitors winner Harry Clark, rapper Lady Leshurr, boxer Conor Benn, singer Lucy Spraggan, and ex-Love Island contestants Chloe Burrows and Adam Collard.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues on Channel 4 on Monday at 9pm.
