Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks was so unwell when he collapsed on a mountain in New Zealand that SAS hardman Mark 'Billy' Billingham thought he would die.
Medics were ordered in to the remote Celebrity SAS location on a snowmobile when reality star Pete, 36, was struggling to breath, falling to the floor during one of the Channel 4 show's most gruelling challenges. Pete, who was teamed up with comedian Tez Ilyas, ends up attempting to pull a sled up a snowy mountain alone, but the physical stress of the challenge proves too much.
On Sunday's episode, viewers will watch the dramatic moment Billy chillingly says: "He ain't going to make it, he's going to die."
Pete, who was medically withdrawn previously from Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins after breaking his ribs, admits now that he didn't prepare properly for the "tough" challenge.
Speaking to The Sun about what happened, he said: “I just pushed myself to a limit and I was very dehydrated. Weird enough, I think I'm the only person that gets heat exhaustion in the f****** snow. I hadn't looked after myself and it's a fine line between getting stuff right and wrong."
This year, in Pete's second attempt at the show, he has put pressure on himself to perform, following his traumatic first go. In an open water challenge last week - a task which previously landed him in hospital, Pete and 13 other recruits were required to climb a platform and fall backwards into open water for the final task.
In last year's open water task, he jumped from a helicopter, but when he hit the water he was knocked unconscious, breaking several broken ribs. Speaking on last week's episode, the former TOWIE star admitted to the camera: "Last time I thought water would be my strong point and I knocked myself unconscious and I broke a couple of ribs. I cannot be the person who f****d it twice."
Celeb SAS was filmed last year in New Zealand, leaving Pete free to focus on Strictly, and if last week's scores were anything to go by, he'll need to put his all into it to stay in the competition. But even if his dance skills aren't quite upto scratch, it seems Pete has already won big thanks to his budding friendship with pro dance partner Jowita Przystal.
Speaking on his and Sam Thompson's Staying Relevant podcast, he said: "What I do know is that she makes me feel good. And that is really important and hopefully I make her feel good and that's a really nice place to be, you know what I mean?"
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