Former Celebrity SAS contestant Maisie Smith broke down in tears on live television as she recalled her ‘torturous’ experience on the Channel 4 series.
Maisie, 24, appeared on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2022 – and emerged as one of its four winners, alongside footballer’s son Calum Best, TOWIE star Ferne McCann, and Strictly pro AJ Pritchard.
However, her time on the programme was a gruelling experience, as she recalled during an appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch this weekend.
The former EastEnders star was in the studio to promote the stage production of The Talented Mr. Ripley, in which she appears opposite The Crown actor Ed McVey.
As she sat down for a chat with hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer, talk turned to her time on Celebrity SAS.
And, watching footage of herself powering through a desert with a heavy pack on her back, an emotional Maisie broke down in tears.
Quizzed about her time on the programme, Maisie revealed: ‘It was worse than you could even imagine. When I watched it back, there’s so much more that they didn’t even show.
‘When we had mic packs, when they’d change the packs, you weren’t allowed to talk. It was severe. There was never “cut, cast can chill for a bit.” It was intense. Brutal.’
Acknowledging that it was also ‘the best thing I’ve ever done,’ she described it as being ‘harder physically’ than mentally – recalling how she’d lugged 20 kilos of sand on her back while running through sweltering desert landscapes.
‘For me, the physical aspect was torture,’ she continued. ‘But mentally I felt like I just couldn’t quit.
After watching footage of herself on the show, Maisie broke down in tears.
‘I was so young. I was 19,’ she sobbed, as Tim and Simon looked on awkwardly. ‘It was such a big challenge. I’m proud of myself.’
As the hosts appeared to flounder in the face of Maisie’s tears, viewers took to social media to lend their sympathy.
‘Simon looked awkward AF!’ exclaimed DebbieGForLife.
‘Both did! Full on panic!’ the original tweeter replied.
‘Well, this lass is the nicest person in the world,’ commented MadKDog.
‘Maisy [sic] is nice,’ concurred Rosie12_1994.
Elsewhere on the show, Maisie talked about how she and boyfriend Max George experienced a lucky escape when the holiday home they’d planned to stay in caught fire.
Maisie met the 1975 star during their 2020 stint on Strictly Come Dancing, where they both appeared as competitors.
After hitting it off in the ballroom, their relationship blossomed off-screen, and they officially became a couple in 2022.
After being questioned by Tim over what she meant about the holiday destination being ‘off-grid,’ Maisie clarified: ‘It was the South of France, it wasn’t really off-grid, it’s quite a common holiday destination.
She added: ‘But there was a fire and everything was destroyed. The house we were supposed to be staying in, it was destroyed.’
Following the fire, she and the musician – who she also stars with in a stage production of War of the Worlds – ended up staying at a local AirBnB.
Did their holiday get any better from there?
‘If you like to fish it was great… but if you didn’t…’ Maisie trailed off, to peals of laughter from the studio.
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