'It was one of the best things I've ever done'

Cherry Healey on why Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins was a life-changing experience and how she's happier than ever

- LUCY ROBINSON

When Cherry Healey reached her early forties, she craved a new challenge. After fronting documentaries on women's health, facing the heat of the kitchen on Celebrity MasterChef and travelling across the UK for Inside The Factory, the presenter wanted to push herself to the limit.

As fate would have it, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins quickly came calling. Alongside the likes of TOWIE's Pete Wicks and Love Island's Georgia Harrison, viewers have seen Cherry, 43, challenged by an elite team of ex-special forces operators as part of the eight-day course, which saw them stripped of all their home comforts - and the experience was life-changing in more ways than one.

"It's one of the best things I've ever done," she tells us. "When I came out, I'd been dating this guy who was full of shenanigans. You know, there was lots of classic rubbish behaviour. I was really infatuated.

"I got back and the first thing I did was break it off with him because I thought, 'There's no way I'm going to jump out of a helicopter and then continue with this absolute farce.' So yeah, it changes you as a person and gives you a lot of self-confidence." Having watched the Channel 4 show from the comfort of her living room for years, the offer to appear on the latest series came at the "perfect" time. With her children, Coco and Edward, less reliant on her now that they are older, taking part was a no-brainer.

"It was really interesting when I got the call to say I'd been given a spot because I actually didn't really have to think about it very hard. It was an almost immediate yes," she admits.

"I knew this was not an invitation to go on holiday - I've watched the show for many years and I understood the level of tasks, so I did take a breath. But it came at such a great time, kind of the perfect time. My kids don't need me in the same way that they used to, so I've got more free time. I feel really physically strong, but I wanted to challenge myself."