Jessika Power spills the beans on SAS: Australia vs England.
There’s no show that pushes celebrities to their limits like SAS. Based on the training for elite special forces, the stars are put through their paces to see whether they have enough grit, determination and stamina to make it through the gruelling, military challenges. With the intensity of the challenges, it’s an achievement to make it through just one day of the SAS: Australia vs England course.
But when former MAFS star Jessika Power handed in her armband during a fitness challenge (known as a beasting) audiences were confused. After all, the beasting didn’t even come close to the stress of the previous task which saw her hold her breath underwater whilst being strapped into a submerged plane. Instead, the moment that broke Jess was when she was forced to do burpees at the camp grounds.
While it sounds frivolous, Jess says there’s a much darker reason why that moment became her last on the show.
“This is not a topic I touch on lightly, but I am a survivor of domestic violence and I have found myself in situations where I have felt unsafe or physically hurt, verbally hurt, mentally hurt more than one time over my life,” Jess reveals to TV WEEK.
“I remember doing burpees in the cold. At this point, you’re already being pushed in the back, called names. I just went full tunnel vision because I had four men — the staff — yelling at me at four o’clock in the morning. I’ve got cracked ribs. I just wasn’t really coping mentally.”
For Jess, the triggering experience became too much.
“During the time I was there, I almost drowned. I cracked some ribs, I had two scorpions crawling all over me when I was sleeping. I was already mentally and physically brought down. But in that moment I just thought, I’m not going to set myself back years of therapy and healing by reopening something. So I just handed in my number,” Jess shares, noting that the inner battle between staying and going was extremely hard to process.
“I’m still trying to heal from my past and the DV experiences and regulate my emotions.”
So, why did the reality star put herself through such an intense experience in the first place? She wanted to share a new, improved and vulnerable side of herself with Australia.
“I wanted to be more raw, more authentic, open up about my past.I don’t think I’ve ever really brought up the topic of DV,” she explains.
“SAS was gruelling. It was challenging. It pushed me to my absolute limit to really dig deep, show who I am and prove to myself who I am.”
Throughout it all, Jess says she doesn’t regret her time on the show. In fact, she’d do it again, if she had the chance.
“It was hard, but it was also really rewarding because I realised that I am strong and I am resilient,” Jess says.
“Yes, I’ve got work to do, but who bloody doesn’t?”