Former Pop Idol Gareth Gates needed six weeks of therapy to get over his stint on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The singer is just one of five famous faces who have made it through to Sunday's final episode. But despite being the instructors’ top pick to win the series, Gareth told how the gruelling ordeal left him a blubbering wreck.
The singer, 39, who has battled a lifelong speech impediment, said: “I wept like a baby, both on the show and afterwards. I needed six weeks of therapy after the show which was provided by production.
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“I was horrifically bullied and beaten as a kid due to my stutter but I’ve never had therapy until now. I just dealt with it on my own but this took me to a place that I have never been to in the last 25 years.
“As horrific as SAS was, it wasn’t half as bad as what I went through as a kid but it did bring up a lot of pain from my childhood. Doing the show and then having therapy has completely changed my life.”
Gareth was just 18 when he finished runner-up to Will Young in the original Pop Idol back in 2002. The fresh-faced teenager instantly became a fan favourite and huge star.
But Gareth revealed how his stammer has impacted his career ever since.
He said: “It definitely held me back a lot. I’ve been asked to do a lot of things in the past but the reason I’ve turned down so many TV shows and interviews is because I’m terrified of speaking.
“I do feel like I’ve missed out on opportunities.”
Gareth, who credits SAS for his newfound confidence, said: “I do believe in myself much more. I want to inspire, not just people who stutter, but anyone with any kind of impediment.
“I did a documentary about 10 years ago but I would love to do another one now. Hopefully, that will come off the back of this.”
Gareth battles it out against Matt Hancock, Danielle Lloyd, Teddy Soares and Perri Shakes-Drayton in Sunday's concluding episode.
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