INTERVIEW WITH EMILY SEEBOHM – RECRUIT NUMBER 10 (AUSTRALIAN)

Age: 33

From: Adelaide, Australia 

Occupation: Olympic Swimmer 

IG - @emcbomb TT - @emilyseebohm

Emily Seebohm is a former Australian backstroke swimmer and four-time Olympian, winning three Olympic golds in 4×100m relays, along with individual silver and bronze medals, five World Championship golds, and seven Commonwealth Games golds. Beginning her professional career at 14, she broke world records in the 50m backstroke and 100m individual medley and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. Since retiring in 2025, Emily has appeared on reality TV shows including The Challenge Australia and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia while remaining active in the swimming community through the Emily Seebohm Aquatic Centre.

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

I’ve always wanted to do Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins at some point in my life. I think I always assumed it would come later, but it felt like now was actually such a good time. I have a two-year-old son, I’ve retired from swimming, and I guess I just wanted to show my son that nothing should hold you back. You should be able to do anything you want to do. A lot of it is that mental game.

Do you feel like being a mum has given you a new outlook on life and a new kind of strength?

Absolutely. I think I was definitely tough before I had my son, but I think life has taught me to be extremely tough now. I think it’s hard out there for mothers, and definitely for first-time mums. It’s really hard getting your bearings and feeling like yourself again.

I think this was a way I could feel that old swimmer me, that athlete me, but also have that mum background to it. It felt like it just gave me a little bit more.

Did you do anything to prepare before going in?

I didn’t really do too much because I didn’t’ have a lot of time to prepare. I did a few altitude sessions at my gym, just walking and a little bit of running, sometimes with a heavy backpack.

Honestly though, I didn’t do heaps. I knew physically I was going to be fine. I felt like it was going to be the mental side that would get to me. I didn’t want to overcook myself before I even got there. I’ve done a fair bit of working out since having my son, but not loads, so I just did what I could and left it at that.

What ended up being harder — the physical or the mental side?

The physical was definitely really hard. I prepared for the physical and I prepared for the mental, but I didn’t prepare for the emotional toll.

There was a lot of emotional baggage I was holding onto, especially thinking about my son. It was the first time I’d been away from him for more than a night. I’d never been overseas without him, never been away for that long. I couldn’t speak to him, couldn’t see him, and didn’t know how he was doing.

Before I left, he had wasn’t well, so that was really hard. There was a lot of mum guilt — my son was sick, I wasn’t there, and I was overseas. That was the hardest part for me, the emotional pain.

I realised I had an attachment to home that I never really had when I was swimming. I loved being home back then, but nothing tied me to it in the same way. When you have a child you’re responsible for, and they’re somewhere else, it feels like there’s always a missing piece.

Do you think the course was more about individual strength or teamwork?

Definitely teamwork. Even when tasks were individual, everything was set up to make you work as a team. It never felt like you were doing anything purely alone.

How did you find the living situation?

Nothing surprised me because I’d seen the show before, and I’ve done similar shows where I’ve been camping outdoors.

What really got to me was how sandy and dusty it was all the time. Even after showering, I’d walk back into where we were sleeping and feel dirty again. It was that constant feeling of never being clean. Honestly, it took weeks after filming before I felt properly clean again.

What was the first thing you did when you finished?

I had a proper shower and washed my hair thoroughly. By the end of filming, I didn’t care how dirty or smelly I was. But once I was out, I felt like I needed to care about myself again.

Who did you bond with the most on the course?

I bonded really well with Brad Hodge because his bunk was right next to mine. I also got very close to Danny and Gabby. Gabby and I still talk a lot now — she even got me into sending voice notes, which I’d never done before.

What do you want people to understand about you after watching the show?

I want people to see that there’s the athlete mentality, but there’s also a really soft side to me. People see me as tough or a badass, but they don’t always see that emotional side.

The show stripped away the athlete and showed me as a person.

What did you learn from the DS?

They were actually really funny. I struggled not to laugh at first. What I learned was to take a breath before acting — not just charging in. As an athlete, I’m used to going all in immediately, but they showed me the importance of pausing and thinking first.

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

Honestly, probably a pillow — but even then, I didn’t really care. The only thing I truly wanted was to speak to my son. Nothing else mattered.

What advice would you give future recruits?

Don’t overthink it. Go in with no expectations, but know what you’re signing up for. Watch the show. Understand what it is. Otherwise, you can’t be surprised by how hard it is.