Gareth Gates opens up on SAS: Who Dares Wins victory: 'Worst and best thing I've ever done!'
Gareth Gates "completely forgot" about Matt Hancock when he was on 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins'.
The 39-year-old pop star was the sole winner of the Channel 4 military-style survival series after fighting off competition from the likes of model Danielle Lloyd and former MP Matt - who served as the UK's health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic - and admitted that after filming began, he very quickly "levelled" with his co-stars and just began to focus on the tasks.
Speaking on ITV's 'Good Morning Britain', he said: "The whole experience was probably the hardest and the worst and yet also the best I've ever been through. You learn so much in a very hostile environment. They really stretch you in every way, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
"It turned out I was okay in the end and I managed to pass the course, so it was good!
"The great thing about the show is it is a real leveller, there's politicians in there, there's pop stars, there's sports people. Within only a few minutes of the show, you forget who's who and you focus on the challenges that they've asked you to do. It's so gruelling that you can't really think 'Oh, I'm stood next to Matt Hancock here', you kind of just completely forget.
"It was a great experience."
The 'Anyone of Us' hitmaker -who shot to fame as a teenager when he was runner-up behind Will Young on ITV talent show 'Pop Idol - suffers from a speech impediment causing him to stammer but even after struggling with it throughout 'SAS', has insisted that he will not let it "dictate" him and thinks one of his "greatest achievements" is inspiring others to believe they can do whatever they put their mind to.
He added: "My speech is massively affected if I'm tired, under pressure, stressed.
"It is a very hostile environment and that is the very nature of the show to push you to your limits and as a result of all that, it was hard. They try to break you down to and as a result of that, I'm much more confident now.
"I got quite a lot out of the show. I think one of my greatest achievements from 'Pop Idol' and now 'SAS' is that you can have an affliction and not let it dictate who you are. You are able to achieve whatever you want in life, you just have to be strong. Parents who have kids who stammer, I just say to be patient, give them as much time as they can. Eventually, they will find a way through."
