Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins turns out to be a baptism of fire for Love Island winner Dani Dyer – who takes a punch to the face in the Channel 4 show’s first episode
13:17, 30 Dec 2025Updated 13:18, 30 Dec 2025
Dani Dyer is punched in the face on Celebrity SAS
Dani Dyer proves that she’s no longer a bikini-clad Love Islander in the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, with the reality star taking a punch to the face in the show premiere. The 29-year-old star is put through brutal special forces training by the show’s directing staff alongside Neighbours’ Ryan Moloney, Love Island’s Gabby Allen, and rugby player Ben Cohen among others.
In the first episode, which airs on Sunday, the celebrity recruits are made to go head-to-head in a boxing match with one another. Mum-of-three Dani takes on Married At First Sight Australia star Jessika Power in a match and despite the protective head gear, the Brit is left with a bloody nose.
After punching Dani square in the face, Jessika is declared the winner by chief instructor Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham. Dani told The Mirror that her experience on the show was “brutal”.
Dani Dyer takes a punch to the face from Jessika Powers
“I knew it was going to be hard and I didn’t go in there thinking, ‘It’s just a TV thing,’ but it was just as hard, if not harder,” she said, adding that Celebrity SAS made her “a lot stronger”.
“I do find things hard in life. I beat myself up a lot and put a lot of pressure on myself,” she added. “In there, you can do anything life throws at you.
“With the Directing Staff, they scream and shout at you but they want to get the best out of you.”
Dani also revealed that her famous dad, EastEnders‘ Danny Dyer, thought she was “nuts” for signing up to the show.
“He’s not a fitness person at all,” she said. “When he does Soccer Aid, he has a fag just before he goes on the pitch.
“He was really proud of me but we went, ‘I’d never do that. I don’t know how you’re my child!’”
Ryan Moloney grappling Cole Anderson-James on floor on Celebrity SAS
Celebrity SAS’s new series sees British celebs go through training alongside Australian stars for the first time in show history.
Olympic swimmers Mack Horton and Emily Seebohm are put through their paces with cricketers Brad Hodge and Graeme Swann, singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte, TV presenter Axle Whitehead, Love Island’s Gabby Allen, TikTok star Jack Joseph, YouTuber Cole Anderson-James and Gladiators’ Toby Olubi.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins airs Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4.
Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.