Content creator and reality TV star Jack Joseph has bravely detailed a life-threatening health crisis he suffered as a teenager, which drove him to test his limits on Channel 4's gruelling Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
A Devastating Decision at 19
The 25-year-old, who appears in the new series which launched on January 4, 2026, explained how a quest for fitness nearly cost him his life. Coming from a family passionate about health, Joseph frequented a bodybuilding gym where he heard talk of a so-called 'legal steroid' supplement.
"I bought this supplement from a website and after six weeks I had liver failure," he shared emotionally on the show. "I went all yellow, pupils all yellow, my brain completely went south. It's a hard thing to describe."
Living Under a Death Sentence
The consequences were severe and protracted. Joseph required hospital visits every day for nine or ten months for blood tests and constant medical supervision. He was given a chilling prognosis by doctors.
"The way you pass away with liver failure is, I was told, that you just go to bed at night and you don't wake up," he recalled. 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," Joseph said. "That broke my heart. It's hard to see your parents with that kind of emotional weight when you know you've caused it."
Seeking Strength on SAS
Joseph credits the traumatic experience with shaping who he is today, admitting it left him as "quite an anxious person" who hides his emotions. This, he revealed, was a key motivation for subjecting himself to the extreme challenges of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The show's eighth series, comprising eight one-hour episodes, pits UK celebrities against Australian stars in brutal SAS selection training under the directive staff (DS): Billy Billingham MBE, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver.
This year's recruits include former Love Island contestants Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen, social media personality Cole Anderson-James, and MAFS Australia star Jessika Power. According to Channel 4, the celebrities are stripped of all luxuries and status to face "sweat, physical endurance, sand, tears and the truth" in the North African heat.
Joseph's powerful story underscores the stark reality behind the show's tough exterior, proving the mental battles often run deeper than the physical ones.
