Reality TV star and content creator Jack Joseph has shared a harrowing account of a health crisis that nearly claimed his life when he was just a teenager, revealing his parents checked on him hourly, terrified he would pass away in the night.
A Devastating Health Scare
The 25-year-old, who is currently appearing on the new series of Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, opened up about the ordeal in the show's first episode, which aired on January 4, 2026. Joseph explained that a decision he made at the age of 19, influenced by the environment of a bodybuilding gym, led to catastrophic consequences.
"I hear a lot of talk of this supplement which is like a legal steroid so I bought this supplement from a website and after six weeks I had liver failure," he recounted emotionally on the programme. "I went all yellow, pupils all yellow, my brain completely went south. It's a hard thing to describe."
Parents' Hourly Vigil and Hospital Ordeal
The young star's condition was so severe that he required intensive medical intervention for the better part of a year. "I had to go into hospital every day for about nine or 10 months to give blood everyday and I had to be under supervision," Joseph stated.
He was given a chilling prognosis by doctors, who informed him that death from liver failure often occurs silently during sleep. This knowledge placed an unbearable emotional burden on his family. "It was hard because every night, every single hour, my parents came in my room to check if I was dead, basically. That broke my heart," he shared.
Joseph expressed profound guilt over the anguish he caused, saying, "It's hard to see your parents with that kind of emotional weight when you know you've caused it." He credits this traumatic experience with shaping his current personality, admitting, "Since then I'm quite an anxious person and that's why I came on this course. I hide my emotions a lot."
Testing Limits on Celebrity SAS
Jack Joseph is one of 14 famous faces being put through their paces on the latest series of the gruelling reality show. The format, which is comprised of eight one-hour episodes, pits UK celebrities against Australian stars in a series of brutal SAS-style challenges.
The star-studded line-up includes former Love Island contestants Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen, social media personality Cole Anderson-James, and MAFS Australia's Jessika Power. They are all guided by the show's formidable directing staff (DS), including Billy Billingham MBE, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver.
According to Channel 4, the celebrities are stripped of all privileges upon entry. The synopsis warns: "The celebrities will have no entourage, agents, filters or social media followers to rescue them. Instead, they’ll face sweat, physical endurance, sand, tears and the truth they’ve been avoiding – all in the blistering North African heat."
The DS are famously indifferent to fame, with the channel stating: "As soon as they enter the selection process, their celebrity status and luxuries are stripped away and there will be no room for mistakes."
For Joseph, participating is a direct confrontation with the anxiety that has plagued him since his health battle, a chance to prove his resilience in the most demanding environment imaginable.
Viewers can catch up on the latest episode of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins via Channel 4's on-demand service, All 4.
