INTERVIEW WITH BEN COHEN MBE – RECRUIT NUMBER 7 (BRITISH)

Age: 46

From: Northampton

Occupation: World Cup Rugby Player 

IG - @bencohenrugby

Ben Cohen is a former England rugby international and 2003 Rugby World Cup winner, celebrated as the second highest try scorer in England’s history and awarded an MBE for his services to the sport. Since retiring after earning 57 caps for England, he has appeared on TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing, The Jump, and The Real Full Monty, while also founding The Ben Cohen Stand-Up Foundation to combat bullying, homophobia, and transphobia. Now taking on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Ben is motivated to push his limits, rediscover his resilience, and embrace a new challenge beyond his sporting career.

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

Well, everything was telling me no, don’t do it. It’s hard and let’s be honest, who wants to be shouted at and called every name under the sun? I didn’t know how I would react to that. But I wanted to do this for personal development and personal growth. It was something that that I knew would test me mentally, help my mental health, and I knew it would be an experience that money can’t buy, that you don’t get to do every day. What us recruits did - urban warfare, getting dunked into lakes and reservoirs, aeroplane fuselages, all that kind of stuff you just don’t get to do in normal life. 

Are you glad you took part?

You really do see yourself grow on the course. That’s where I was mentally. A big part of me had to get Ben out, the old sportsman out, although that’s been gone a long time. But yeah, I’m glad I did it. Personal growth, development, and taking part in something that these guys do for a living. Such an experience.

Did you feel inspired by the DS, getting a taste of their lives?

I was very respectful and I am very respectful of the services. Whatever level you’re at, you’ve got to put graft in, whether you’re just starting, gone through training, or Special Forces. It’s about discipline, consistency, turning up, and being ready to go again. There are close ties between rugby and the services. I always had that respect. I did some training at Sandhurst as part of our training. Leadership, working in groups, overcoming stuff. I never went into this course thinking it was a holiday. I never thought it was just because the cameras were on. I always said I understand what it is. That’s why it was such a head f*ck for me to go and do it, because I knew it would be relentless. What you see on TV is just a snippet. Something you might have spent four hours doing gets shown for a second. They could film for a hundred days and you only see a snippet on TV. So I was fully aware of what I was going into and I respect those guys massively.

What would you say was the toughest challenge you took part in?

There were so many and they were so different. It’s like climbing a flight of stairs when you’re starting from zero. That’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Then two weeks later you do it twice a day, then three times a day. The first ones get easier, but the third one kills you. As the course goes on, it gets harder and harder in 45-degree heat. You can’t underestimate how disgusting that heat was. I hated the heat. It was horrible. My hardest time was day four, day five, when I broke. No sleep, delirium. The challenge the next day where I was about to quit was the toughest. Storming into a town, arm balling, pushing cars, carrying things uphill. I pissed myself. You can’t control it. It was disgusting. At that point you’re mentally and physically gone. You’re fighting through the fight to get to the flight. And the staff are very good at helping you fight the fight to get you to the flight.

Did the experience bring out a more vulnerable side of you?

You only learn from experiences when they happen. Experiences like that are very few and far between. I won’t have such an experience of exhaustion, no sleep, being beasted, 45 degrees, hardly eating, fighting people ever again. I couldn’t replicate it. You can’t replicate a World Cup final unless you’re in it. Getting to that low ebb where you’re broken, hallucinating, unable to sleep, that’s when your mind is in a different place. The battle for me was wanting to quit but saying one more minute, one more minute, one more minute. That’s how I got through it. Your mind plays with you.

How did you find the DS overall?

They don’t want you to fail. They were brilliant. In their own way, they’re encouraging you to keep your head up, to keep going. They help you grow in their own way. You’ve got to find it, but it’s there. If you show willing and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll do really well.

It gives people self-worth, self-belief, and growth. It’s tough love, but it works.

Did it help having Graham Swann there, someone you knew?

Yeah, I played rugby with Swanee when I was about 30 at county level. I knew him anyway. Seeing him was really nice. I enjoy watching people’s behaviours and dynamics. Everyone in that group pulled their weight. I really enjoyed it. Swanee was a machine. 

Did anyone surprise you?

Everyone surprised themselves. You see people going through the bottleneck. You see them fighting the fight to get to the flight. People were machines. Not just physically, but mentally tough. Emily was a machine. Mack was a machine. Gabby and Dan were great. Dani had real moments testing her character and she came through it. Gabby is mentally tough as well. I saw people digging in. It was disgusting, relentless, but people kept going. It was encouraging to see people push through.

If you could have brought one luxury item into camp, what would it have been?

Probably a chocolate bar. Or a Coca-Cola. Anything food-related. Something that gives you a little piece of heaven for a few bites and lets you escape that reality.

Did you do anything to prepare to take part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins?

I did 28 to 33 kilometres a day for four and a half weeks. I wasn’t in a good place mentally or physically. My biggest gains came before the show even started. I did weights in the morning, then a 10K run, a 10K walk with 20kg on my back, and a 10K fast walk. Every day. Elite fitness was where I was in sport, and now I’m the opposite, but I understand the behaviours. I’d rather have that adaptation before the desert than turn up cold. Your sleep changes, appetite disappears, hormones go haywire, then settle. Your thought patterns change. That process taught me a lot about myself.

What was the first thing you did when you came out?

I ate, but I didn’t really have an appetite. I had Moroccan food. Pastas, hummus, breads. It tasted amazing. Then lying on a proper bed, a nice shower, warmth. Sleeping without boots on. You don’t know when you’ll be woken up in there, so you’re never truly rested.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins?

I wouldn’t give advice straight away. I’d ask what they want out of it. If you want personal growth, you’ll have an amazing time. It’s tough and you’ll want to quit constantly, but that’s where you grow. You don’t want your armband taken off you. You don’t want to be humiliated. That’s not something I’d want to carry. If you give it your all, every day is an achievement. You’ll want to quit the whole time, but it will change your life and give you a different perspective without question.