EXCLUSIVE 'I had severe anger issues': Shannon Courtenay reveals she 'hated who she was' as the boxer details her 'life changing time' on Celebrity SAS

By Laura Parkin For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Professional boxer Shannon Courtenay has revealed she 'hated who she was' before she took on the 'life changing' TV show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Speaking in an interview with MailOnline, the title winning star, 29, told how the Channel 4 programme helped her overcome her 'severe anger issues.'

Admittedly, Shannon also revealed that having never watched the show before, she didn't know what to expect and was left a 'broken person' as she was pushed to her extremes by ex-special forces operators in the blistering hot Jordan desert.

Learning curve: Professional boxer Shannon Courtenay, 29, has revealed she 'had severe anger issues' before she took on the 'life changing' TV show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins

Learning curve: Professional boxer Shannon Courtenay, 29, has revealed she 'had severe anger issues' before she took on the 'life changing' TV show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins

Reflecting on her time, she said: 'I learnt to be kinder to myself. I went in there hating who I was, hating how I looked, hating my past, not dealing with a lot of things very well and having severe anger issues.

'It has changed my life more than you will ever believe, I am a different person now and I am so grateful for it.

'There is so much about me that this show has changed,' Shannon reiterated as she revealed the gruelling details of some of the challenges she faced. 

Hard: In an interview with MailOnline, the title winning star, said she was left a 'broken person' as she was pushed to her extremes by ex-special forces operators in the Jordan desert

Hard: In an interview with MailOnline, the title winning star, said she was left a 'broken person' as she was pushed to her extremes by ex-special forces operators in the Jordan desert

Shannon admitted that she had never watched the show before, so she didn’t know what to expect and told of how the lack of sleep left her a 'broken person'.

'I remember I was thinking "what the hell have I signed up for," I thought I’d signed up for something physical and I'm fit as anything so I thought I would be fine but it was horrendous,' she confessed.   

'One night I was a broken person, I was so tired and Calum [Best] did a double shift of the night watch because he could see I was tired – so he let me sleep. The lack of sleep and the lack of food with all the training was the hardest thing.'

Shannon did admit that she did 'over think' too much during the first few days, which is something she now regrets. 

Thoughts: Reflecting on her time, she said: 'I learnt to be kinder to myself. I went in there hating who I was, hating how I looked, hating my past, and having severe anger issues'

Thoughts: Reflecting on her time, she said: 'I learnt to be kinder to myself. I went in there hating who I was, hating how I looked, hating my past, and having severe anger issues'

Shock: 'I remember I was thinking "what the hell have I signed up for," I thought I¿d signed up for something physical and I'm fit as anything so I thought I would be fine' (Pictured in 2021)

Shock: 'I remember I was thinking "what the hell have I signed up for," I thought I’d signed up for something physical and I'm fit as anything so I thought I would be fine' (Pictured in 2021)

'I over thought everything for the first couple of days and put so much pressure on myself thinking that I had to get to the end and finish it. 

'I don't remember the first couple of days because of that. I wish I would have enjoyed the whole process a bit more rather than seeing it as a competition.

'But when I did forget that I was there for that reason, I did really enjoy it, you’ll see that me and Ferne [McCann], when we were on base, we laughed the whole time.'

'We then threw ourselves into it a bit more and just enjoyed the whole process. It's about just enjoying the moment.' 

Conditions: 'One night I was a broken person I was so tired, the lack of sleep and the lack of food with all the training was the hardest thing,' Shannon said

Conditions: 'One night I was a broken person I was so tired, the lack of sleep and the lack of food with all the training was the hardest thing,' Shannon said

Team: 'When we threw ourselves into it a bit more and just enjoyed the whole process a bit more. It's about just enjoying the moment', the boxer added

Team: 'When we threw ourselves into it a bit more and just enjoyed the whole process a bit more. It's about just enjoying the moment', the boxer added

Building on what she has learnt, the boxer detailed: 'Not having a phone and not having social media was so nice, I don’t use my phone half as much as I used to.'

Celebrity SAS will see Shannon first travel to Scotland for a gruelling series of challenges - but they will have to wait a while longer before discovering what's in store in Jordan. 

Shannon will be joined by actresses Maisie Smith, 21, and Jennifer Ellison, 39; TV Personality Calum Best, 41; Reality TV Stars, Pete Wicks, 33, and Ferne McCann, 32; Javelin Olympic Gold Medallist, Fatima Whitbread MBE, 61. 

Also taking part is professional dancer, AJ Pritchard, 27, professional dancer Curtis Pritchard, 26, ex-footballer Ashley Cain, 31; Influencer and TV Personality, Amber Gill, 25; Olympic Sprinter, Dwain Chambers, 44; Olympic Gold Medallist Jade Jones OBE, 29 and Paralympic High Jumper, Jonathan Broom-Edwards MBE, 34.

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Sundays at 9PM on Channel 4. 

Series: Celebrity SAS will see Shannon travel to Jordan for a gruelling series of challenges - but they will have to wait a while longer before discovering what's in store (The cast pictured)

Series: Celebrity SAS will see Shannon travel to Jordan for a gruelling series of challenges - but they will have to wait a while longer before discovering what's in store (The cast pictured)

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