Matt Hancock claims he hid a broken rib in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins
Matt Hancock claimed he broke a rib while taking part in Channel 4 celebrity SAS: Who dares Winsbut remained silent about it.
The former health minister said his physical and mental resilience was “tested to the limit almost every minute of every day” during his time on the reality series.
Ahead of the upcoming series’ release on Tuesday (September 26), Hancock, 44, revealed he was close to quitting the program after “breaking a rib” in the jungle phase of SAS Selection in Thung Ui, northern Vietnam.
He said: “I was determined to carry on so I just kept my mouth shut so I wouldn’t be medically discharged.”
Hancock, who will appear on the Channel 4 show alongside 15 other recruits, previously said he wanted to push himself to the limit after enduring a “challenging period as health secretary during the pandemic”.
He served as health minister for nearly three years but resigned in June 2021 after it emerged he had violated his own Covid-19 guidelines by kissing and hugging adviser Gina Coladangelo in his office.
The MP for West Suffolk, who has been a fan of the SAS series “for years”, said he was in “pretty good shape” ahead of the show, having completed a 100-mile hike over Mont Blanc and an “intensive fitness regime “I have completed. .
But he said, “Be SAS It was like nothing else… it’s one of the hardest physical things I’ve ever done and it really opens your eyes and makes you really look inside yourself.”
Matt Hancock on “Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins”
(Channel 4)
Hancock said he had dealt with an antagonistic British media throughout his career, but that SAS The staff management “pressed my buttons, especially at the beginning”.
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“They push you the button to achieve ascension and then they show you the consequence of that and so you learn not to do it,” he said.
“It’s part of the training and actually a really important lesson in life to not be too cocky when you try. I didn’t feel like I was struggling with it.
“I don’t know if this will come across, but I don’t suffer fools gladly. They are definitely not fools and I had respect for what they did.”
The politician also considered teaming up with ex-footballer Jermaine Pennant to take part in a fight in which two opponents hit each other in the head without dodging until they are told to stop.
Hancock lost the Tory whip because of his performance I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. He described the reality shows as “very different” but “both tested my resilience.”
He said: “There wasn’t much to do in the Australian jungle, so I always looked forward to the tasks.
“The opposite was the case SAS where your physical and mental resilience was tested almost every minute of the day. Sitting down was a luxury.”
celebrity SAS: Whoever dares wins The show returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday September 26th at 9.30pm and continues on Sundays at 9pm from October 1st.
Additional reporting from the Press Association