Pete Wicks has recalled the moment he almost drowned during his stint on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The TOWIE star, 33, says he was knocked out cold, unconscious in the water and left with broken ribs following a stunt on the Channel 4 show going horribly wrong during filming earlier this year.
Pete had been challenged to jump out of a helicopter into a lake during the ultimate physical challenge but things didn't go to plan when he somehow managed to knock himself out with his huge backpack.
He claims the mishap saw his lifeless body floating face down in the water, with show staff screaming for help as he faced severe peril following the stunt going, in his words, "very wrong".
"I was unconscious in the water so I don’t really remember much, just the rescue swimmers coming to get me and they flicked me over and then said, 'Oh, we need to get you in the boat'," Pete says of the incident in a new interview about his time on the show.
"I didn’t want to get in the boat because if you start something you have to finish it, so then I remember trying to swim back. We got to shore and then I realised, 'f**k I’ve actually hurt myself here'."
Speaking to The Sun, the reality TV star goes on to recall feeling "dazed and confused" and struggling to move his upper body after the accident - adding: "I was very confused."
He says even moving his arms "was quite painful" due to the pressure on his broken ribs and says the experience was a bit of a wake up call for him to curb his partying habits.
“Listen, I drink too much, I smoke too much. Years ago, I was training and fell on my arse basically and shattered my coccyx, it stopped me from training and all that stuff and then I just never went back to it," he admits. "I suppose partying and that kind of thing took."
Pete was joined by the likes of Love Island winner Amber Gill, EastEnders alum Maisie Smith, former footballer Ashley Cain and Brookside actress Jennifer Ellison on the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The first episode of the grueling reality TV show saw the new crop of stars undergo a painstaking gas challenge which tested their strength and endurance. The group had to follow orders while being exposed to CS gas after being told to remove their masks.
Former TOWIE star Pete admitted he'd probably be one of the weakest at the task and only lasted a number of seconds before quitting the tough ask.
Soldier Billy Billingham told viewers the test feels like "being choked, strangled" and said it can feel like you're dying.
He said: "It's absolutely petrifying". Calum Best also described the ordeal as being "f***ing horrendous".
*Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues this Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4.
