Gareth Gates, of West Bowling, recalled the disappointment of missing out on winning Pop Idol as he was the last one standing from the 16 famous faces who started the Channel 4 military-style series.
Throughout the seven episodes, Gates was the frontrunner in a bid to pass the selection process.
The 39-year-old, who has lived with a stammer since he was a child, featured in the series finale last night (Sunday) – alongside former health secretary Hancock, model Danielle Lloyd, Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton and Love Island star Teddy Soares.
Interrogation, a key stage of SAS selection, was the theme of the episode as the five were subject to punishing techniques by a specialist team while using a cover story to hide their true mission.
As the task began to stretch the contestants, Gates told the show: “Whenever I’m feeling in a dark place, I just always think of my beautiful daughter’s face, smiling at me saying ‘you can do this daddy’. I think that’s going to be my main source of inspiration.”
The singer and Lloyd had to experience the ice bucket treatment, which caused the pair to break, but their performances were praised by the interrogators.
The remaining trio of contestants – Gates, Lloyd and Hancock – then faced one final test of endurance before hanging from a bar suspended in the air for as long as they could.
The Bradford man did the best in the latter challenge, holding on for one minute and 20 seconds.
Gates, who finished runner-up to Will Young on Pop Idol in 2002, said to the camera: “When I was a 17-year-old boy, I entered a TV talent show. I made the final but didn’t win.
“It was hard at the time. 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.”
When coming to their conclusion, the directing staff said Gates had “pretty much passed virtually everything” on the course and had remained “stoic” from the beginning.
After asking Hancock and Lloyd to hand over their armbands, the emotional West Bowling lad stood alone as he was announced the winner.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is available to stream now on All 4.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
