Former England cricketer Graeme Swann has described his experience on Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins as 'disgusting' but admitted he loved the challenge. The 46-year-old, known for his off-spin bowling, told the Mirror the show was 'mind-numbingly hard' and far tougher than he anticipated. He said he initially thought it would be watered down for television but found it brutally real, with fellow contestant Ben Cohen summing it up as 'disgusting'.
Swann revealed he signed up for the show to prove to his children that he is not a quitter, following ongoing criticism over claims he 'abandoned' England during the 2013 Ashes tour. He fiercely denies the allegations, explaining he was forced to retire due to nerve damage in his elbow that left him unable to feel the ball. 'It wasn't that I didn't think I was good enough. It's that I couldn't feel the ball in my hand,' he said.
The former Nottinghamshire star said he was 'cast adrift' by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after his retirement, with no one checking on his mental health for two years. He described the ECB's response as 'horrific' and noted that mental health support was not taken seriously at the time. It was only two years later, when he saw an England team doctor, that anyone asked if he was okay.
Swann, who won three Ashes series with England, now advocates for better psychological support in cricket. He stressed the importance of resilience, saying society no longer teaches it, and welcomed the reduced stigma around mental health. However, he noted that he still receives abuse from fans who believe he abandoned the team, calling such behaviour a dismissal of mental health issues.
