'You don't know how strong you are until strong is all you've got'

Paralympic gold medallist and World champion Jonathan Broom-Edwards has swapped high jump for high stakes television as he takes on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Broom-Edwards, 34, appeared in the third episode of the hit show in which celebrities tackle a shortened version of the rigorous SAS selection process in the Wadi Rum desert, Jordan.

The first challenge of Sunday night's episode saw the 12 remaining recruits attempt to shift a one-tonne broken-down Jeep through thick sand in searing heat.

The celebrities were divided into two teams, led by brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard, and had to race to be the first to free the Jeep and then reach a designated point.

"It was so difficult, it was one of the hardest tasks," Broom-Edwards, a former Clere School student, said.

"It took us a long time to get going, it became apparent that we had to shift some weight from the Jeep.

"It was a shame, because once we got the truck free we closed the gap from 400 metres to 100 metres.

"I was in so much pain, I hadn't stopped pushing, my legs and chest were screaming at me.

"It was weird because I went from being in all this pain to suddenly feeling no pain, I felt like I could run a marathon."

In April 2018, Broom-Edwards underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon which kept him sidelined for 18 months and began focusing on the mental side of competition – something that's helped him throughout the SAS process.

He said: "There's a saying I love, 'you don't know how strong you are until strong is all you've got.'"

"You reach a few rock bottom moments, I was at rock bottom when we were pushing the car, but you have to give more, to find something more.

"The experience, this one course, did more for me learning about mental resilience than my whole life had up to that point.

"It made me so thankful for the moments of relaxation, the downtime, I became so good at falling asleep within seconds.

"You learn to keep going, to focus on something different other than the pain."

Celebrities were also faced with undertaking a mountain pass manoeuvre, which required them to cross a ravine over a thin wire 160 feet off the ground.

"It was high, but to be honest it was beautiful," he said.

"It was about not looking down and thinking about the height, I used to be scared of heights when I was little.

"I tried to focus on a point in the far distance and appreciate it.

"It's not until you get to about halfway across the ravine when it starts to get really hard, I was literally holding on by my fingertips.

"At one point my whole body was telling me to stop and take a break, but the instructors were screaming at me not to stop.

"My hands went, I had nothing left, the wire slipped through my fingers about 10 metres from the end.

"It was such a shame, but I think I maybe let my emotions win.

"It was a learning experience, I think it taught me about the resilience of the mind, what I need to do to push beyond that point."

Broom-Edwards faces more trials and tribulations in the show's fourth episode, which airs this evening at 9pm on Channel 4.

Viewers can expect "a lot more to come" as the "fatigue gets more intense, the sleep deprivation becomes more pronounced and the food gets worse and worse" – thankfully, we'll be watching from the comfort of our living rooms.