Dani Dyer suffered a nosebleed after being punched by Married At First Sight star Jessika Power during filming for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. The 29-year-old former Love Island winner was taking part in a Milling exercise, where contestants go face-to-face in a fight. Despite the blow, Dani appeared unbothered and continued with the challenge.
The new series of the gruelling Channel 4 show sees 14 British and Australian celebrities competing in north Africa, overseen by chief instructor Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham. Billingham praised Dani, saying: 'Little Dani Dyer surprised me. Very small girl. She was very timid at the start, lacked a lot of confidence... She never believed she could do it, but she could.'
Dani, daughter of EastEnders actor Danny Dyer and wife of footballer Jarrod Bowen, revealed her husband advised her to train hard before the show. She said: 'Jarrod told me to up my training before I went in. We went up to his family in the Midlands. I was training in potato fields with my dad, running up and down.'
Other contestants include Love Island's Gabby Allen, cricketer Graeme Swann, and rugby player Ben Cohen. Dani admitted her father and husband thought she was 'nuts' for taking part, but she wanted to push herself out of her comfort zone. She said: 'I’ve always been petrified watching it, but I never get to push myself out of my comfort zone.'
Reflecting on the experience, Dani said she learned she is 'a lot stronger' than she thought. The interrogation by instructors helped her cope with insecurities about being liked. She added: 'I stick up for myself a bit more now. I’ve always worried what everyone thought of me.'
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins airs on Sunday 4 January at 9pm on Channel 4.
