‘My baby boy has changed my life'

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jake Quickenden on why the hardcore show is even tougher than it looks and how he juggles his busy schedule with fatherhood

- KIRSTY NUTKINS

Former X Factor star Jake Quickenden isn’t the type to shy away from a challenge. He braved I’m A Celeb in 2014 and won Dancing On Ice in 2018. So it’s hardly surprising to see him popping up in Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Although the gym fan says he was in the best shape possible to take on the gruelling challenges in the wilds of the Hebrides, he admits he was taken aback by just how full-on the experience is compared to how it looks on TV.

Jake, 33, is engaged to former Celebs Go Dating star Sophie Church, 27, and lives with her, her six-year-old son Freddie from a previous relationship, and their six-month-old baby, Leo. Here, he tells us about the most brutal Celebrity SAS moments, his new projects and his wedding plans…

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins clearly isn’t for the faint-hearted. How scary is it?

It’s absolutely brutal! It’s a show I’ve always wanted to do and I admired people who did it, because it’s not your typical reality series. A lot of people would turn it down because they don’t want the challenge, but I’m the kind of person who loves putting myself through it. I think that says something about my character.

Is that the main reason you did it?