Victoria Pendleton says appearing on \'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins\' was like "unconventional therapy".
The 38-year-old Olympian has opened up about how appearing on the Stand Up to Cancer show helped lift her low mood and tested her limits.
Speaking on \'Lorraine\' on Wednesday (24.04.19), she said: "[The show] was a bit of unconventional therapy in many ways ... so much fun, it was really hard work but you learn so much about yourself when you are pushed into that survival zone.
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"They challenge you in terms of pushing your courage and trust ... it gets you out of your own head."
The athlete appeared on the show - which puts 12 stars on a gruelling seven-day survival slog, led by chief instructor and former soldier Ant Middleton - alongside Made in Chelsea\'s Sam Thompson, former \'Love Island\' star Camilla Thurlow, Loose Women\'s Andrea McLean and sportsman Ben Foden, among others.
Last year, the brunette was unable to complete her climb to the summit of Mount Everest with Ben Fogle, as documented in CNN\'s \'The Challenge: Everest\' , because she "lost confidence" during the brave venture.
She said: "It was very difficult for me to be patient with myself. I saw myself as a very capable individual.
"I was like, \'I can do this, I can get through it.\' But it doesn\'t matter how hard you push, sometimes you just have to let it run its course.
"For me I found that really hard. I kept finding ways to keep myself active ... and taking on challenges like this.
"When I came out the other side, I thought, you know, I can do this, I have still got the strength and ability, but I just kind of lost confidence I guess."
The Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist also admitted her impressive accolades are also a "curse in some ways" because they spur her to participate in different competitions and hunt for glory when she should be resting and focusing on her well-being.
She said: "I think it\'s kind of a curse in some ways ... when the SAS show came up, I was very much in recovery and my sister was very negative.
"She was saying, \'I think you need to look after yourself\'. But I also really wanted to say yes, because that\'s the person I am deep down."
16 January 2026 - 3:48 AM
