Gareth Gates has discussed how much winning a reality TV show means to him – 22 years after coming runner-up on Pop Idol.
The singer, 39, rose to fame on the ITV show in 2002 but missed out on the win after Will Young received more public votes.
Gareth broke down in tears when he successfully completed the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins training course during Sunday’s show.
Channel 4 viewers were then shown a clip in which he said: ‘When I was a 17-year-old boy, I entered a TV talent show. I made the final, but didn’t win.
‘But 20 years on, I wanted to prove to myself that I am strong and I can make it right down to the end and hopefully even win.’
Opening up: Gareth Gates has discussed how much winning a reality TV show means to him – 22 years after coming runner-up on Pop Idol
Second place: The singer, 39, rose to fame on the ITV show in 2002 but missed out on the win after Will Young received more public votes
He later described the win and glory as ‘cathartic’ over two decades after losing to Will on the show.
He said: ‘I thought at last, I’ve actually won a talent TV show and not came second this time. It was a massive weight off my shoulders. I’ve finally redeemed myself from being the biggest loser in the UK back in 2002.’
After Pop Idol, Gareth went on to score several big hits, including the million-selling cover of Unchained Melody and Stupid Mistake.
He made a return to TV in recent years, including competing on Dancing on Ice, The Big Reunion and now, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Gareth beat fellow recruits Matt Hancock , 45, and Danielle Lloyd , 39, after the other sixteen celebs failed to make the final.
Chief Instructor, Billy Billingham MBE QCB and his team of Directing Staff (DS), Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver decided that Gareth was the only celebrity who had the mental and physical strength and resilience to pass the course.
After his name was announced a shocked Gareth become emotional and said: ‘Thank you, staff. Wow. Thank you.’
Speaking to The Mirror after the win, which was filmed in October 2022, Gareth revealed the show’s ‘unbearable torture’ led him to undertake five weeks of therapy.
He told the publication: ‘I had to have quite a bit of therapy afterwards and the show is great for that. When you come out, you’re checked over and I had about five weeks worth of counselling and therapy because it really, really did affect me.’
New leaf: Gareth (L) later described the win and glory as ‘cathartic’ over two decades after losing to Will Young (R) in 2002’s Pop Idol (pictured together on the show)
Overcome: Gareth broke down in tears as he successfully completed the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins training course during Sunday’s show
He also gave an insight into the hardest part of the process and described the final interrogation as ‘unbearable torture’.
Gareth said: ‘After the whole nine or 10 days we were in there and the sleep deprivation, being stretched physically, emotionally, mentally, the thing that tipped me over the edge was the interrogation.
In the Celebrity SAS finale, Gareth, Matt, Danielle, Teddy Soares and Perri Shakes-Drayton took part in a ‘resistance to interrogation’ challenge, which saw them interrogated by a specialist team while using a cover story that they were working for an animal welfare project.
Gareth impressed the interrogators as he kept his cool under pressure, with the onlooking interrogation umpire noting: ‘He buys time well, he’s very considered, he’s genuinely an individual that’s quite difficult to get upset with.’
They also noted that Matt was ‘really good at lying’, while Teddy was withdrawn from the course after he broke his cover during interrogation.
After being grilled by the interrogators, Matt and Perri were given an extra challenge, with MP Matt told to pour a bucket of ice-cold water over former Olympian Perri’s head.
Perri was then removed from the course after she too broke her cover.
Gareth, Danielle and Matt then had a final challenge designed to replicate combat under fire, which saw them tasked with carrying heavy loads through a swamp and up a hill.
Success: Chief Instructor, Billy Billingham decided that Gareth was the only celebrity who had the mental and physical strength and resilience to pass the course (L-R) Matt Hancock, Gareth Gates, Danielle Lloyd
Tough: Speaking after the win, which was filmed in October 2022, Gareth revealed the show led him to undertake five weeks of therapy
The gruelling challenge didn’t stop there, with the recruits then told to hang from a bar for as long as they could.
First to fall was Danielle, who barely made it a few seconds, while Matt lasted one minute, 10 seconds and Gareth a further 10 seconds after.
Gareth was overcome with emotion when it was revealed he was the only recruit to successfully complete the course.
During the episode Gareth reflected on what it meant to pass this very special, condensed version of SAS selection: ‘It was a really crazy experience.
‘I think winning, or, passing was amazing but being the only one really meant a lot to me. Realising that this is real for these DS, was really eye opening.
‘We’re just here creating a TV show but this is what they’ve had to do for real. I just had huge respect for them, that they have to go through this for real whilst protecting our country.’
When asked what made him stronger than all the others, he responded: ‘In the end, I think I was just mentally strong as well. You can train as hard as you can for the physical element of it. But I think it’s the mental resilience really gets people through to the end.
On what surprised him about the series, he said: ‘It shocked me how fully immersive it is. I was expecting them to yell ‘cut’, and I thought there would be some downtime, a little bit of time to get my breath back up.
Hard: He also gave an insight into the hardest part of the process and described the final interrogation as ‘unbearable torture’
Triumphant: Gareth (C) said: ‘I thought at last, I’ve actually won a talent TV show and not came second this time. It was a massive weight off my shoulders. I’ve finally redeemed myself from being the biggest loser in the UK back in 2002’
‘But from the moment you arrive, to the moment you leave, the DS treat you like it’s an actual selection process. And it’s tough, they stretch you in every way. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and they really push you to your limits.
‘I think that’s what they were after – those who made it to the end, proved that as people, they are tougher on the inside than they are on the outside.
Speaking on where the mental resilience came from, he added: ‘I think I have become mentally strong, and able to cope with being stretched mentally, the difficulties I went through as a child and with my speech.
‘Being at school was tough. I was badly bullied. And I think that helped me handle the difficult circumstances I was put in on the course. It was tough and my speech was at its worst there.
‘I’m not great at confrontation or being put on the spot but I just had to somehow dig deep and I managed to tap into that. And I think that’s what got me through it.
‘I’m also very, very competitive, but mostly competitive against myself. I’m always trying to become better and stronger. I train hard in the gym, but I’m also very driven in life. I think all that comes from having had that drive to get myself out of the traumatic situations I faced with bullies when I was a kid.’
Gareth and 15 other celebrities faced one of the toughest experiences of their lives as they travelled to Thung Ui, north Vietnam, to be put through the most gruelling stages of SAS selection
When asked if this experience has changed him, Gareth said: ‘Yes, hugely. It’s definitely made me a much stronger person.
‘And that fact that I passed, so effectively won the whole thing, proved to myself that I am strong and that I’m not that same, cowering young boy who used to hide in the corner. I have actually grown into a man now and I can handle anything.’
Gareth and 15 other celebrities faced one of the toughest experiences of their lives as they travelled to Thung Ui, north Vietnam, to be put through the most gruelling stages of SAS selection.
Across seven one-hour episodes, famous faces including Matt, Michelle Heaton, Montana Brown and James Argent attempted to survive in the unforgiving jungle.
Also joining them on the show was The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran, Melinda Messenger, footballer Jermaine Pennant, Gareth Thomas and reality star Amber Turner.
Other stars making up the group included Love Island’s Teddy Soares, comedian Zoe Lyons, Kirsty-Leigh Porter, Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton and Paralympian Jon-Allan Butterworth.
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