Love cheat rugby star Ben Foden has revealed SAS training helped him after his divorce from Una Healy.
Ben, 33, joined 11 other celebs, including Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton, footballer Wayne Bridge and Loose Women’s Andrea McLean, on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The ex-England player said being put through his paces by host Ant Middleton came at a perfect time, personally and professionally.
He had just finished playing for Northampton and his divorce from Saturdays singer Una had come through.
He said: “I was in a bit of a weird head space. I needed something to focus on and challenge myself mentally and physically.
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“It gave me a little perspective on what was going on in my life. It was liberating.”
Ben and Una, 37, split six years after they got married following reports he cheated with PR girl Becky Milne. The couple have two kids, Aoife, seven, and Tadhg, four.
Ben, who plays rugby in New York, said: “I was the one who committed adultery.” But he said he and Una are amicable.
He knew he would have no problems with the physical challenges of going on Channel 4’s Celeb SAS in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.
SAS: Who Dares Wins - meet the celebs putting themselves through hell
But he was worried about how strong he would be in his own head.
He said: “The mental side of it was always going to be testing for me. I’ve always been one of those athletes that probably wasn’t mentally the toughest.”
The show tested his character – and even had him weeping on TV.
When asked on the show if he is emotional he initially said no but then admitted to crying over a 9/11 Instagram post.
He became emotional as he recounted how a man on a doomed plane asked his wife to kiss their kids’ head and smell their hair. Ben said: “In today’s society I think it’s nice seeing someone get emotional on screen.
“It’s important to show you don’t need to bottle it up. It’s nice to get things off your chest and then get on with your life.”
The series starts on C4, next Sunday, 9pm.
