‘It’s not an ideal condition when you’re in the Special Forces’: SAS Australia’s Chief Instructor Ant Middleton reveals his VERY surprising secret phobia
He’s the straight-talking former British soldier putting Australian stars through their paces on SAS Australia.
But Ant Middleton proved that even the toughest of TV hardmen have their weaknesses last month when he spoke candidly about his fear of tight spaces – a condition known as claustrophobia.
The 39-year-old told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper that he suffers panic attacks whenever he finds himself in a small, confined space.
‘Not an ideal condition’:SAS Australia’s Chief Instructor Ant Middleton, 39, (pictured) has spoken about his battle with claustrophobia, telling The Daily Star that he’s forced to fend off panic attacks whenever he’s in a small, confined space
‘I suffer from claustrophobia – not an ideal condition to have when you’re in the Special Forces,’ he said.
‘I’m OK in crowds, but could you put me into the boot of a car without me flipping out? No. Could I spend any meaningful time in a small caving tunnel? No.’
The Royal Marine-turned-reality TV star admitted that simply standing inside a small elevator is enough to bring on a panic attack.
‘If something goes wrong, I’m going to have to prise those doors open’: The Royal Marine-turned-reality TV star admitted that simply standing inside a small elevator is enough to bring on a panic attack
‘If I enter a lift and I know I’m completely locked in, that’s when I say to myself, ‘F**k, if something goes wrong, I’m going to have to prise those doors open,” he confessed.
Ant joined the British Army aged 17 in 1997, and served in the Royal Marines from 2005 to 2012.
He was thrust into the spotlight after becoming the Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins. The military-style reality show has aired every year since, and was recently adapted by Channel Seven for Australian viewers.
Army past: Ant joined the British Army aged 17 in 1997, and served in the Royal Marines from 2005 to 2012
TV personality: Ant was thrust into the spotlight after becoming the Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins
Ant’s admission comes as Channel Seven celebrates the ratings success of SAS Australia’s premiere episode on Monday night.
The show was the most-watched entertainment program of the night, launching to 1.194 million viewers nationally.
SAS Australia was also number one in its 7.30pm time slot and trended on Twitter.
Winning show: Ant’s admission comes as Channel Seven celebrates the ratings success of SAS Australia’s premiere episode on Monday night
SAS Australia also pulled in 834,000 viewers in the five-city metro market, while The Block was watched by 783,000.
This year’s SAS Australia contestants include convicted Bali drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, 2018 Bachelorette Ali Oetjen, sporting great-turned-reality TV flop Nick Cummins and publicist Roxy Jacenko.
Alleged drug cheat swimmer Shayna Jack and glamour model Arabella Del Busso also appear on the show.
Line-up: This year’s SAS Australia contestants include convicted Bali drug smuggler Schapelle Corby (pictured), 2018 Bachelorette Ali Oetjen, sporting great-turned-reality TV flop Nick Cummins and publicist Roxy Jacenko