Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins: Full line-up confirmed as Channel 4 show returns with a massive twist
Dani Dyer and two Neighbours stars are among the stars in the next Celebrity SAS line-up
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is officially returning in 2026, with a new line-up set to go head-to-head in a “brutal” location.
Who Dares Wins is one of the most gruelling reality shows on TV. Originally launching in 2015, it has a simple appeal: watching normal people push themselves to frightening limits. It’s safe to say, it’s a tougher ordeal than The Celebrity Traitors.
Last year, only three celebs managed to pass the course: Lucy Spraggan, Michaela McCollum, and Troy Deeney.
However, as well as forcing a new platoon of celebs to endure “the most punishing challenge of their lives”, the next series has an extra twist.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins announces 2026 return with UK vs Australia twist
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will kick off its new series in January 2026 on Channel 4.
More excitingly, things will be a bit different this time. Not only will its celebs be transported to the “brutal heat of North Africa [for] a savage, condensed version of SAS selection”, but they’ll be separated into two teams.
Fourteen celebrities will face off against each other, separated into Team UK and Team Australia.
They’ll be put to the test by Chief Instructor Billy Bilingham MBE, supported by Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver.
In typical Who Dares Wins style, Channel 4 has teased that “every weakness will be dragged into the open”.
According to Bilingham, the North Africa setting will present a “challenge like no other… [and] this series isn’t just a brutal personal course, their national pride is on the line”.
“North Africa has its own challenges, now throw the DS into the mix. Standby for tears, pain and glory,” he added.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2026 lineup – Team UK
Dani Dyer
- Age: 28
Dani Dyer (the daughter of actor Danny Dyer) rose to fame on Love Island, winning alongside Jack Finch in the fourth series in 2018.
Since then, she’s become a prominent TV personality, even competing in Strictly Come Dancing this year (until she withdrew due to an injury).
In a statement, she said: “I’m a massive fan of the show. I’ve always watched it and wondered if I could do it. I want to put myself to the test. I’m nuts, but I think I will be good at it.
“I’ll be completely out of my comfort zone. I just hope that I will be able to stop listening to the voices in my head and just get to the end because that would make me so proud.
“I think physically I’ve got this. Mentally is what I’ll struggle with as my brain attacks me all the bloody time. I just want to believe in myself a little bit more and stop being a negative Nancy.”
Gabby Allen
- Age: 33
Gabby Allen is another Love Island alumnus, having reached the final in 2017 alongside Marcel Somerville. She entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2018, and she’s had several TV appearances in the years since.
“As a lot of people know me from being on Love Island, I think viewers are going to be really surprised when they see me on the course – I’m extremely determined and I don’t give up easily,” she said.
“Fitness is a huge part of my life with it being my job and working with hundreds of women daily helping them find joy in their health and wellness journey. I wanted to test my mental strength and challenge myself in a way I haven’t before and SAS certainly did that.”
Jack Joseph
- Age: 25
Jack Joseph is a social media personality with over four million followers and 311 million likes on TikTok.
He also has a successful YouTube channel (his latest video, “I Survived Special Forces Training”, has nothing to do with Celebrity SAS).
Joseph also revealed that his dad was in the military. “He will not be happy if I make excuses or I moan or I don’t try 100%,” he said.
“I didn’t think being in the military was ever an option for me. I am scared of everything – flying, confrontation, large crowds, claustrophobia, bugs, insects, spiders. I’m hoping that I can overcome those fears. I need a big challenge. If I manage to get through this, I think it would help a lot.”
Cole Anderson-James
- Age: 28
Cole Anderson-James is another prolific online personality. He has over 2.8 million followers and 123 million likes on TikTok, and his YouTube channel has 748,000 subscribers.
In a statement, he said he was drawn to Celebrity SAS because he wanted “a bit of fun and to experience new things”.
Ben Cohen
- Age: 46
Ben Cohen is a former rugby player. He won the 2003 World Cup with the England team, and since retiring in 2011, he’s founded his own StandUp foundation to combat homophobia and bullying. He also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.
“I wanted to take part to rediscover parts of myself but also to be tested mentally,” he said.
“We live with ourselves every day, so I wanted to test myself mentally and physically to try something really tough that would challenge my strength. It’ll be a good lesson for me.”
Toby Olubi
- Age: 37
You may recognise Toby Olubi as an Olympic bobsledder, but he’s best known as the “Phantom” in the BBC’s Gladiators revival.
Olubi said he wanted to “come on this course to show different dynamics of manhood… that you can be vulnerable and still powerful”.
“I also wanted to use this opportunity to test my mettle, to learn from the experience and to come home with something more to offer to others,” he added.
Graeme Swann
- Age: 46
Graeme Swann is a former English cricketer. He was a formidable player; even today, he has the third-highest test strike rate of any English batsman. He also competed in the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing, paired up with Oti Mabuse.
In a statement, Swann spoke about how he wanted to “step out of [his] comfort zone and see how hard [he] could push [himself]”.
“But also, I wanted my kids to see that even the hardest tasks can be achieved if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other,” he said.
Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins 2026 lineup – Team Australia
Jessika Power
- Age: 33
Jessika Power is a TV personality who first found fame on Married at First Sight Australia. She has over 328,000 followers on Instagram and has appeared on multiple reality shows.
“I chose to do Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins because I wanted to show a side of myself the public rarely gets to see – the vulnerable, determined, resilient version of me,” Power said.
“I’ve been through a lot in my personal life and this was a chance to confront those challenges head-on.”
Ryan Moloney
- Age: 45
Ryan Moloney famously played Jarrod Rebecchi (better known as Toadie) in Neighbours for 30 years. He’s also not a stranger to reality TV, coming in third place in the 2013 series of Celebrity Big Brother.
“After everything that I’ve gone through I want to grab this and tear the balls off it,” he said.
“It’s a huge challenge and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I didn’t know what I wanted to get out of it but I knew if I gave it everything that I’d find out!”
Natalie Bassingthwaite
- Age: 50
Natalie Bassingthwaite is a fellow Neighbours star, playing Izzy Hoyland in an award-winning four-year run between 2003 and 2007 (she has made two guest appearances since then).
She’s also a singer, author, and TV personality, serving as a judge on The X Factor Australia between 2011 and 2014.
“Turning 50 for me meant embracing new challenges. Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins was my opportunity to push my boundaries, test my limits, and prove that adventure truly knows no age,” she said.
Brad Hodge
- Age: 50
Brad Hodge is another World Cup-winning cricketer, having played with the Australian team that won in 2007.
“Taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins was important for me so I could challenge myself physically and mentally in a different elite world that I am not accustomed to,” he said.
Emily Seebohm
- Age: 33
Emily Seebohm is a retired Olympic swimmer, taking home three gold medals, five world championship wins, and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals in her 13-year career.
Since retiring, she’s become a TV personality, appearing on the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2022 and The Challenge.
“After being an Olympian for so long and missing the challenge of what it takes to get to the top level, with a toddler, I realise that if don’t do it now, I’ll never do it,” Seebohm said.
Mack Horton
- Age: 29
Mack Horton is another successful Olympic swimmer. He won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle at the 2016 games in Rio, and he won four Commonwealth golds before his retirement.
“Leaving professional sport hasn’t meant losing that internal drive. I’ve been actively seeking challenges that force me to stretch, evolve and tap back into that competitive instinct,” Horton said.
“The SAS training challenge stood out because there are very few environments as physically and mentally demanding. Their ability to train for any scenario, any environment, fascinated me – and the appeal of walking into something where the unknown is part of the experience was impossible to ignore.”
Axle Whitehead
- Age: 44
Axle Whitehead, a musician and actor, starred in Australia’s big competing soap, Home and Away. He played Liam Murphy across 15 episodes before going on to host The World’s Strictest Parents.
He also had a recurring role in Neighbours as Zenin Alexio.
“Growing up and working on our family farm, often in harsh conditions, taught me real physical and mental resilience,” he said.
“Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins terrified me, but I wanted to see whether I had the mettle to carry me through the toughest test on TV.”
