INTERVIEW WITH AXLE WHITEHEAD – RECRUIT NUMBER 11 (AUSTRALIAN)

Age: 44

From: Melbourne, Australia

Occupation: Actor and Songwriter 

IG - @axlewhitehead, FB https://www.facebook.com/axle.whitehead.1

Axle Whitehead is an Australian musician, actor, and TV personality best known for playing Liam Murphy on Home and Away and hosting Video Hits, in Australia, where he interviewed stars like Beyoncé, Oasis and Justin Timberlake. Rising to fame on Australian Idol in 2003, he later launched a music career with his top-10 single I Don’t Do Surprises and an album produced with Robert Conley. His acting credits include The Secret Life of Us, Ned Kelly, Neighbours , Shameless (US), and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (US), while he has also hosted The World’s Strictest Parents in Australia and the Australian The Wall. Known for his candidness about personal challenges, Axle is now taking on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins to push his limits and embrace a new chapter.

Why did you sign up to take part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins?

I'm a massive fan of the show. I grew up on a sheep and cropping farm, so my childhood was full of physical challenges and crazy stuff.  I've always liked jumping out of planes, racing motorbikes, bungee jumping and all that sort of stuff.  I have a low dopamine set, so I need extreme behaviour to kick me off.

This opportunity came along at a time in my life when I was looking for something to get me back on track.   I feel the most relaxed when I'm under extreme pressure. That's when I feel at peace. 

When I'm looking for something like that, I pack up my stuff and go for like a month's motorbike trip or ride around Australia or do something adventurous and interesting to get me out of my comfort zone, so this was perfect timing to be offered this.  I really, really wanted to do this. 

I needed a personal and emotional and psychological challenge, I'm drawn to this kind of wild, crazy stuff. I have a fascination with the mind of an SAS soldier. I'd never come in contact with someone who works in that field.

And I had a massive man crush on Foxy. He's a calm, warm, gentle man, but also a trained killer. And I was curious to find out what the psychological profile of a man like that is and what makes them tick? How can such a warm, gentle giant also be a trained soldier?

And it changed my life. It got me back.  It renegotiated my relationship with fear and resilience. And it kickstarted my life again. When I returned, I sold all my stuff, got rid of all my possessions, apart from my instruments, and moved to Thailand for three or four months. So, yeah, it's done exactly what was on the box, what the doctor ordered.

Was it what you were expecting?

I really didn't know what to expect. I knew it was going to be hard. I knew it was going to be challenging, but what I was really interested in was what came up psychologically and how to challenge that with fear and walking into fear. 

Were you expecting to get so emotional? 

Talking and being vulnerable comes naturally to me.  I think it's far more powerful to be authentic and be yourself and there's value in vulnerability and taking the lead to go, this is me, warts and all.  I didn't want to pretend to be anything that I'm not. And I've grown. I'm 44, so I have matured slightly but I wanted to be vulnerable. I was like, f*ck it. I'm just going to let the demons come out. I enjoyed being authentic rather than putting on a veneer.

Was there anyone who you got particularly close with? 

I got on really well with Brad Hodge, who I didn't know beforehand, just because we have a very similar sense of humour. The Aussie larrikin, the Australian cricket culture, is very much based around that.

Also, when I fought with Ben, we developed a bond. When you fight someone, you share something together and when we looked in each other's eyes and realised we both needed this. And afterwards he said, “holy sh*t, I really needed that to ignite something.”

For the rest of the course, we talked and bonded and we shared a lot of similar experiences. Since then we've become really close. We speak once or twice a week. It's really beautiful.

Did anyone surprise you? 

Yeah, Dani's resilience and her willingness to keep on going. When myself, Jack and her got grouped together for the tunnel challenge, I was behind them and we had to kind of slide down this hill into the tunnel and she whacked herself and smashed into it. She didn't bloody blink or react to it at all. She just got on with the job with her resilience and toughness.  To look at her or speak to her, you think that, she'd give it her best, but she might have a breaking point but I didn't see a breaking point, especially in the abseiling challenge. She had trouble with that challenge but she wanted to go again and got another crack at it.

I was really impressed with Dani. She was amazing.

What did you think of the DS? 

It's interesting, when I was thinking of an SAS soldier and seeing the DS on TV, I had this kind of idealistic sort of romantic version of what an SAS soldier is. I thought they can't get hurt and they do this heavy stuff and they're hard men but until you meet them and you sort of look in their eyes, you realise they are battle hardened. They're a different species. They're intelligent, they're open, they're warm, they're resilient. They're tough, like in every sense of the word but every now and again, it was nice to see a little bit of humanity or them not kicking your ass as much. 

We all just wanted to sit around and have a beer with them at the end of the day just to sit and pick their brains - I’ve never met humans like that before.  I'm not one of them, but I'd love to spend more time with them.

What would you say was more tough, mental or physical challenges?

The physical, I'd say. My mental game would get tested but I've never been great with minute details of discipline. If I don't see a reason for the law or for the rule to be in place, I've always bucked against it.

But when I was physically exhausted, I would try and play psychological games to how to find more about how to dismiss pain and breathe more and find more strength and resilience. That was life changing for me, to be able to be pushed to that point. The toughest thing for me was the challenge where we were going through the canyon and having to take all the gear up with us. I nearly got to breaking point then I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and took it breath by breath. 

What fears did you overcome?

Probably just the psychological stuff coming up. If I had a problem with authority when they were nitpicking about the detail, I would kind of internally get the sh*ts about that and then look at myself and go, why do I have a problem with small rules? And so the emotions were quite high when I realised it's something I obviously need to address in myself. So the hardest part was just facing yourself and going, well, you've got no option, get through it. And then asking, how are you going to get through it? Are you going to bullsh*t yourself or are you going to confront some old behaviours and thoughts?

How was the heat?  

The heat was hard, but it didn't bother me too bad. It was just the exhaustion and probably the lack of cardio and fitness. The physical was tougher than the psychological, but I learned so much.  I discovered so more than I expected. 

What luxury did you miss the most? 

A f*cking pillow! Jesus Christ!

I'm quite particular with my pillows! 

How did you find the living situation? 

I went to boarding school, so showering and sleeping in close quarters was fine for me.

I'm a snorer, so I was a bit worried. I was that guy. And I knew I was going to be that guy. 

I think one time, when it was time to get up, I told the others I barely got a bloody wink the night before.  Gabby responded saying, “fucking rubbish. He was snoring all night.”   I could have sworn I barely slept. 

On day one, Nat had a really upset stomach and I remember sitting on the dunny next to her and just hearing her bowels just get completely emptied and thought, righto, this is a beautiful bonding experience. And again, we're all humans, we're all animals, you know, doing the same thing. Again, we're not very different from each other.

If you had to be stuck on a desert island with anyone from the series, who would it be?

(Brad) Hodgie for sure. I also wouldn't mind being stuck on an island with Gabby, let's be honest.

Who was the funniest?

(Graeme) Swanee, he is so funny. My God, that bastard should have a stand-up career. The banter he and I had made me laugh.  I hope our laughter  comes across.

Did all the banter make the experience easier? 

Yeah, absolutely. It was great to have different age groups because every has different styles of humour.  Older people can usually be a little bit more un-PC, which I find very funny and appealing. You've got to laugh at the darkness in life. I think that's the best way to look at it rather than suppress it.

Who was the most competitive? 

Gabby was competitive, but probably competitive with herself. She really expects a lot out of herself. She missed out on that first challenge and it really gutted her, so it was just nice to be able to help her in that moment. She expects a lot out of herself and good on her. 

And actually Ryan was competitive, but again, probably with himself. He was determined to stick to the rules and go by the book, which is credible but also his communication style rubbed people the wrong way.  You are there to learn and I think he probably grew from that.

We all bonded as a group really quickly, so I didn't really see a lot of competition 

How would you describe your Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins experience?

For me, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins was a life changing experience and I don’t say that lightly. It redefined my relationship with fear and resilience. I have never been pushed to those limits in my life. It gave me back my confidence that I’d lost over the last few years. The sense of comradery and laughter within the group is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. I’d do it again in a heart beat!!"

If you could give any advice for future recruits taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, what would it be? 

Obviously fitness. Be open to growth and things coming up for yourself. You might have a certain way or an idea of thinking or doing things, but in the moment, the process can be very different to your expectations and being calm and steady and calculated and taking a moment as opposed to letting adrenaline run the show. I think finding that stillness in the chaos, calming the mind, and working on meditation is key. 

Physically fit and practice mindfulness.