Gareth Gates says Celebrity SAS made stutter 'the worst it has ever been'

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Gareth Gates has said that being on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins made his stutter "the worst it has ever been".

The Pop Idol star has struggled with stammering since he was a child, and recently opened up on the Channel 4 show about how he suffered verbal and physical abuse at school, with boys holding him down and saying: "Let's beat the words out of him."

He has now shared how the gruelling TV series, which sees celebs going through tough military training exercises, affected his speech.

What, how, and why?

Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, he said the hit show really "stretched" him.

Watch: Watch Gareth Gates talk about how SAS: Who Dares wins impacted his stammer

"They stretch you in every way," he said.

"My speech, as a result, was hard. Possibly the worst it has ever been.

"You are exhausted, haven't really had too much sleep and you are really being stretched."

Gates, 39, said addressing his stutter on the programme had been "hard" for him.

But he went on: "The show is really great at breaking you down in order to build you up again, much stronger, and it turns out it is actually really good to talk.

"And just that burden off my shoulders after I had talked to them about that was really quite liberating."

The singer said he went on the series for himself "to show myself I'm not that boy that would hide in a corner any more".

What else did Gates say?

The star also told host Christine Lampard, who was filling in for usual host Lorraine Kelly, that he'd received a lot of messages from other people who suffered with different impediments.

"Just basically saying how I have inspired them to never give up," he explained.

"And if I helped to inspire one person, it's absolutely brilliant."

Other celebs taking part in this series of the show include Danielle Lloyd, James 'Arg' Argent, Michelle Heaton, Melinda Messenger and Matt Hancock.

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues on Channel 4 on Sunday 29 October at 9pm.

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