Gabby Allen Champions Strength and Femininity After Celebrity SAS Victory
Reality television personality Gabby Allen has issued a powerful rebuke to online critics who target her muscular physique, following her triumphant win on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. The 33-year-old fitness instructor, who first captured public attention on the 2017 series of Love Island, stands firm as an advocate for women's empowerment and self-confidence.
'You Can Be Strong and Sexy at the Same Time'
In an exclusive discussion with the Daily Mail, Allen articulated her core philosophy, declaring emphatically that 'you can be strong and sexy at the same time'. She robustly defended her gym-honed body against the backdrop of ever-changing beauty and fitness trends. 'I think the fitness and fashion industry changes all the time,' she noted. 'So there's always going to be someone that doesn't like something.'
Allen shared a relatable social media experience to illustrate her point: 'I'll put on a transformation photo and someone will go, "oh, I like the one before" and I'm like, cool.' Her journey, she explains, is deeply personal. 'I started my fitness journey as I wanted to feel good about myself. I know how I feel my best and that is feeling sculpted and strong.'
From Love Island to SAS: Proving Resilience
After securing victory on Love Island All Stars in 2025, Allen subjected her mind and body to the ultimate trial on Celebrity SAS. The gruelling challenges saw her lifting identical weights to her male counterparts, surviving simulated war zones, and enduring arduous desert treks. Through this ordeal, she demonstrated that physical strength and feminine appeal are not mutually exclusive.
Allen made television history alongside Love Island co-star Dani Dyer and former Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm, forming the programme's first-ever all-female line-up of finalists to successfully pass the selection. The final episode whittled the recruits down to five, with Allen, Dyer, and Seebohm joined by fellow contestants Ben Cohen and Mack Horton for the most demanding segment of the course.
In a dramatic turn, both male recruits—Cohen, 47, and Horton, 29—ultimately 'tapped out', leaving the three determined women standing before the directing staff as the series concluded.
The Brutal Reality of Special Forces Training
Reflecting on the harsh authenticity of the experience, Allen revealed: 'In between tasks, you're not given a cup of tea or anything like that. It's very much you are treated as special forces.' She entered the process with clear-eyed determination: 'I knew what I was letting myself in for and I just wanted to take everything in my stride. Obviously, there were moments I kind of hit back but that's just natural.'
Her commitment to the role was total. 'Even though it's a TV show, for me, I was very much just trying to be in the special forces,' she explained. 'I was just trying to do the best that I could.' This extended to forgoing everyday comforts; she didn't bring a hairbrush and had to borrow one from Emily Seebohm, eventually cutting her hair short after the show due to damage.
'When you go in there you just have to leave all your inhibitions at the door and just crack on,' Allen stated. 'It's very, very organic.'
Facing the Infamous Interrogation
One of the most intense moments featured a brutal final interrogation where an instructor labelled Allen a 'useless f****** talentless t***' before dousing her with water. Some viewers criticised the segment as excessively harsh.
Allen, however, contextualised the ordeal: 'It's interesting because obviously I've watched the show before, so I knew that was coming. And I've had quite a few messages being like, that was ridiculous. It was too far, all this stuff.' She defended the show's methodology, stating, 'But the whole point of the show is for you to have a true experience of what special forces go through. They will do anything that they can to break you.'
Ultimately, Gabby Allen's message resonates beyond the television screen: true confidence comes from within, and strength—in all its forms—is something to be celebrated, not criticised.
