'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins' - who are the celebrities taking part in the 2022 series?

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is returning for another series of impossible physical and mental challenges, presided over by some of TV's toughest trainers.

A new group of celebrity recruits will push themselves to their limits in the quest to be named the show's winner as they navigate the SAS training tasks.

Read more: Calum Best says he almost died during Celebrity SAS stunt with Ferne McCann

Here's who will be trying to follow in the footsteps of last series' winners Alexandra Burke, Aled Davies and Wes Nelson.

Who is taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2022?

Maisie Smith

Former EastEnders star Smith, 21, said: "I went in hoping that I would inspire young, small women that we're just as strong as anyone else, as any of the big, strong men. It felt quite empowering that I was the youngest one there. I came out of it feeling stronger than I've ever felt. I felt like I definitely did what I came there to do to inspire other young girls.

Jennifer Ellison

The 39-year-old actor said: "I thought there'd be some women my age but there wasn't. It's mad how when I used to be cast in things like Hell's Kitchen I was always one of the youngest. Now suddenly I walked in, saw everybody and I was like, 'Oh, my God, I'm the old, unfit one, how did that happen?'."

Calum Best

TV personality Best, 41, said: "I have lived a life of having an iconic parent that was a legend to so many. And for a long time, in my younger years, I didn't really know how to cope or kind of deal with that. What road do I go down to even try to compare myself or follow in those footsteps?

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"I chose the wrong road for many years, but you know, that was a part of just growing up. I feel like I've fought some of the toughest battles mentally and physically. And this thing was just a place for me to go in and show who I am and the growth I'd been through."

Pete Wicks

The Towie star, 33, said: "I've done TV for eight years and there have only ever been two shows that I really wanted to do. One was Bear Grylls, which I did.  And the other one was SAS: Who Dares Wins, purely because it's something that regardless of it being a TV show I'd wanted to do anyway because when would you get an opportunity to do something like that? I’m fortunate to have a very pampered life, so to get the chance to test what you're truly made of was an opportunity I just couldn’t turn down."

Ferne McCann

The reality TV star, 32, said: "I kind of went into Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins with exactly the same mindset as when I was leading up to giving birth to my daughter, which sounds ridiculous. But honestly, when you're in that environment and it's really challenging, you have to draw from experiences that you've been through to find the resilience and the strength to get you through.

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"Everyone talks about labour, but you don't really realise how painful it actually is, but I really wanted to feel that pain, which may sound  strange. And it was the same with this, I really wanted to see how tough it actually is."

Fatima Whitbread

Javelin Olympic gold medallist Whitbread, 61, said: "I'm a mad gym junkie, who always, from the day I retired, never stopped working out. And if you talk to my son, he will tell you the madness of the woman. I do train exceptionally hard, even now.

"I actually did a lot of backpack running because I used to do that as an athlete. So I got out my old backpack and I had filled it with sand, stones, rocks, and off I went."

Ashley Cain

The 31-year-old ex-footballer lost his eight-month-old daughter Azaylia to leukaemia in April 2021 and said: "It was very close to the passing of my daughter. Losing my daughter was the most difficult experience of my life. I think to combat trauma you need to step outside your comfort zone and see who you really are.

"There’s no better way to do that than on SAS: Who Dares Wins, so when the opportunity came, I took it with both hands. I really wanted to find out who I was, so I wanted to see whether I could put my money where my mouth is. I said I was going to be strong for my daughter, and I was going to continue to fight for my daughter, I wanted to put that in action as soon as I possibly could."

Amber Gill

Love Island winner Gill, 25, said: "I think coming off a show like Love Island and being on Instagram, people have a certain expectation about me and I wanted to show that I’m more than that. That was what I was kind of thinking. You always get tied to these sorts of stereotypes about reality stars and I wanted to prove to everyone that I'm not just a bikini. There’s more to me than that."

AJ Pritchard

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 27, is taking part alongside his brother and said: "People think that as we have been brought up exactly the same, that we’ll be the same. But in reality we are two very different identities and two different people. You can't judge two people the same because they are family members. We are still individual people. We are all just going to have different strengths and weaknesses."

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Curtis Pritchard

The former Dancing With The Stars and Love Island star, 26, said: "Most of the TV programmes I do, it's people I'm not aware of, so I've got used to that a little bit now. But having AJ there, obviously that was always nice. Gives you somebody to talk to, somebody to help support you if you need anything or vice versa."

Dwain Chambers

Olympic sprinter Chambers, 44, said: "My biggest fear was getting there and getting kicked off the show! Not being able to handle it. That was my greatest concern. Even though, from a physical point of view, I can handle stuff, because I love all of that, I love the challenge, but if there was something I couldn't do, how would I handle it? Am I going to get annoyed by being shouted at? And if I do react, what am I going to say? And how am I going to last with no food? How am I going to last with no sleep?"

Jade Jones

Taekwondo Olympic gold medallist Jones, 29, said: "Obviously I'm a fighter and in a contact sport, so that gets people thinking I'm hard core, but I am quite a baby when it comes to anything else other than fighting basically! There was this fear of letting the martial arts world down because even my team mates were joking before I went in saying, 'don't let us down.' You’ve got to protect the reputation of our sport."

Shannon Courtenay

The 29-year-old boxer said: "My boxing coaches and my team, half the reason they wanted me to do the show is because I’ve got such a bad temper. Everyone thinks when you box you should have a temper and you shouldn't. If anything, you should be completely emotionless so that you are fluid in the ring, not tense up.

"Straight away I went into the show with my back up and my temper came out. And then you start to realise that actually the more you react, the more they punished the whole team not just you. I didn't like the thought of everyone else being punished so I just learned to grow up a little bit and bite my tongue!"

Jonathan Broom-Edwards

The Paralympic high jumper, 34, said: "I conduct myself in a way that hopefully does inspire those with impairments or any form of disability. Hopefully, I came across in a way that shows I'm not going to let my impairment hold me back.

"Anybody on the show, anyone in this world, we all have some form of difference. We all have challenges we have to face, and regardless of whether it's a known disability like you haven't got a leg, whether it's a slightly hidden disability like myself, or whether it's something like irritable bowel or skin conditions or whatever it is, we all have challenges we have to face. And so if I can conduct myself in a way that helps inspire people to go beyond them challenges, I know I'm doing something right."

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins begins on Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4.

Watch: Kerry Katona says Celebrity SAS was 'like therapy'