Katie Price backs Ant Middleton after SAS: Who Dares Wins axe – saying she’d work with star again
KATIE Price has backed adventurer Ant Middleton after he was axed from SAS: Who Dares Wins due to his "personal conduct".
The 42-year-old, who appeared on the celebrity version of the gruelling show last year, has said she would "work with him again".
Mum-of-five Katie was forced to quit Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins after her boobs became "inflamed" following one challenge.
Instructor Ant had been determined to break Katie, getting her to hold a huge rock over her head for ten minutes.
Katie told an angry Ant she “didn’t have the strength to keep holding” it and walked out of the show on medical grounds.
The former glamour model and the soldier had previously clashed over her false eyelashes, which he joked had come off during an abseiling challenge.
But Katie has now backed Ant after Channel 4 axed him from the show over his comments about Black Lives Matter protests and coronavirus.
Katie told The Sun Online: "I would do another show with him at the drop of a hat."
Her rep added: "Katie looks back on her time on SAS: Who Dares Wins with fondness. It was, in Ant's words, 'no s*** banter and tough love' that Katie found her strength, and fight. After the show, she turned her life around and a year on, is smashing it."
Channel 4 vowed to never work with Ant again over his "personal conduct" off camera.
In March last year, Ant urged people to "carry on as normal" and not "be a sheep"; as the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
He was later forced to apologise after telling his social media following that he wouldn't be self-isolating because he was "strong and able".
Then in June, Ant apologised again after referring to Black Lives Matter protesters as "absolute scum".
Ant defending himself saying he was "anti-racism and anti-violence" after deleting the controversial tweet.
The former Special Forces soldier said he is “really disappointed” with his former paymasters and that them “butting heads” resulted in him leaving the series.
Ant exclusively told The Sun: “I think that ultimately what has happened is that the people that make the show and I have very different opinions on where the show started and where it is going in the future.
“When I started making the show and as I was involved from the beginning, it was very simple and at its core it was to show what Special Forces’ selection was.
“And I am sad to say that in recent years the producers of the show have drifted from this and it has become more of a reality show than I feel comfortable with.
“I have decided to walk away from it, it is clear Channel 4 and I have fallen out over it and that is regretful. I have butted heads with some of the team but ultimately it is out of a passion for what I wanted to do and that’s make the best show possible.”
Ant was informed of the sudden decision just weeks before the latest series is on air.
The dad-of-five says the way his exit was handled has left him “really disappointed” by the channel and production firm Minnow Films.
He concluded: “I am really disappointed with the way that this has been handled, after working with them for five years I would have expected better.
“But I am genuinely very excited about what is on the table this year anyway and this is the start of a very exciting year for me, so I wish the show the best for the future but it is time for me to walk away from it.
“I am very proud of the show and proud of what we have achieved with
the show and there is no doubt that being part of that has been one of
my favourite experiences of my professional career.”
Ant went on to slam Channel 4 on Good Morning Britain, insisting the "inappropriate comments" he made to female staff were just "banter".
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"You're on SAS: Who Dares Wins, you say inappropriate things and we do inappropriate things," he explained.
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"If you get offended by them then so be it, this is a hardcore course - it's never direct.
"They have obviously seen a bit of military banter or military humour, they've seen us talking about a recruit or a production member in the dorm or something."