Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2026 line-up – Meet the season 8 contestants

A new season of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is here to kick off the new year and provide motivation for your fitness New Year's resolutions.

As usual, 14 famous faces have signed up and flown out to North Africa to be put through their paces, and survive the entire course without withdrawing to be deemed worthy by the DS at the end.

However, in a never seen before twist, the celebrity line-up of the 2026 season has been split into Team UK and Team Australia, with seven celebrities representing each nation and going head-to-head in the challenges.

So, who exactly is taking part? Read on to learn more about the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2026 line-up.

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2026 line-up

Team UK

• Dani Dyer
• Gabby Allen
• Jack Joseph
• Cole Anderson-James
• Ben Cohen
• Toby Olubi
• Graeme Swann

Team Australia

• Jessika Power
• Ryan Moloney
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte
• Brad Hodge
• Emily Seebohm
• Mack Horton
• Axle Whitehead

Scroll down to find out more about this year's contestants.

Dani Dyer

Age: 28

Job: TV personality

Instagram: @danidyerxx

Dani Dyer is a British TV personality who rose to fame after appearing on, and winning, the 2018 season of Love Island.

Since then, she has co-presented the MTV series True Love or True Lies alongside her father, acting legend Danny Dyer, as well as co-hosting a podcast called Sorted with the Dyers with him.

On why she is taking part in the show, Dani said: "I’ve always been a massive fan of the show and I remember watching a series that Georgia Harrison had done thinking that I really feel like I want to do it.

"And so when the opportunity came around, I just couldn’t say no. These sorts of opportunities don’t really come around often so I just thought, let’s have a go, let’s see if I can actually do it."

A self professed adrenaline junkie, Dani has previously climbed Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. She added: "I just wanted to see if I had some balls.

"I just felt like I just wanted to see if I can do it, if I’ve got some strength, because I’m not going to lie, I am a little bit of a scaredy cat."

Gabby Allen

Age: 33

Job: TV personality

Instagram: @gabbydawnallen

Gabby Allen is a British reality TV star and fitness entrepreneur who is best known for appearing on series 3 of Love Island and winning the second season of Love Island: All Stars. She has taken part in Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Ghost Hunt.

Gabby couldn't believe the transformation she had on the show, saying: "The difference between me before and after was wild. Going in with all my hair done and my lipstick on, and then the aftermath – looking in the mirror thinking, well done. Everyone was talking to me like nothing had happened and I was like, guys, this is a visual representation of what’s going on in my head right now.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that I've always wanted to do. To be able to challenge myself, to strip myself back and put myself out there, that was a challenge in itself."

Jack Joseph

Age: 25

Job: Content creator

Instagram: @jackjos3ph

Jack Joseph is best known for his comedic social media content, blowing up on TikTok during the pandemic where he now has over 6 million followers. Jack's dad is an ex-army REME mechanic father, so he is keen to prove his resilience and live up to high expectations.

Asked why he agreed to go on Celebrity SAS, Jack said: "I think the main reason is that, over the past five years, I’ve been living in a lot of comfort. With what I do in this industry, it’s quite an easy and comfortable job. It’s my dream job and I’m incredibly grateful for it, but I felt like I’d been in that comfort zone for too long.

"I needed something to push me out of it. I tried a few different things, but when the call came for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There’s nothing else where you get pushed to this extreme. It was perfect timing for me."

Cole Anderson-James

Age: 28

Job: Content creator

Instagram: @coleanderson.j

Cole Anderson-James blew up on TikTok after being made redundant from his sales job during the pandemic. Since then he has started a career in acting, even appearing in Ricky Gervais' After Life.

Cole admits to never having seen the show before and signed up with only six hours before he needed to board his flight meaning he had no time to prepare or train but also no time to get nervous.

"Every task was so hard. I just literally put my blood, sweat and tears into the tasks. The living situation as well was just a bit harsh and the food… It was just everything. Everything was the hardest part," he admitted.

Ben Cohen MBE

Age: 46

Job: Former World Cup rugby player

Instagram: @bencohenrugby

Ben Cohen is a former England rugby player and 2003 Rugby World Cup winner, celebrated as the second highest try scorer in England’s history who retired after earning 57 caps for England. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2004 for his services to rugby. Openly gay, he founded The Ben Cohen Stand-Up Foundation to combat bullying, homophobia and transphobia.

Ben has appeared in other TV game shows including Strictly Come Dancing, The Jump, and The Real Full Monty. On why he signed up for Celebrity SAS, he said: "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."

Toby Olubi

Age: 37

Job: Olympian and gladiator

Instagram: @tobyolubi

Toby Olubi is a former Olympian, having competed in the four-man bobsleigh at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Since January 2024, Toby is Phantom on the BBC show Gladiators, so there's no question about his physical ability in taking part in Celebrity SAS!

Toby joined the cast to show more of his true self, something he feels doesn't come across on his other shows: "You can’t hide on this show. You can’t fake it. You can only be your authentic self, and I really relished that."

Graeme Swann

Age: 46

Job: International cricketer

Instagram: @officialgraemeswann

A former international cricketer who won the Ashes three times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Graeme Swann has always wanted to take part in Celebrity SAS.

"I actually told my agent only about two weeks before the offer came in that I wasn’t interested in doing any of those shows, apart from Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins," he said of joining the show.

"I told him if they ever asked me to do that, I’d say yes straight away, because I love it and weirdly, a couple of weeks later, they asked me."

He retired from cricket in 2013 following an elbow injury and has since gone on to take part in the 2018 season of Strictly Come Dancing, where he came in 10th place.

Jessika Power

Age: 33

Job: TV personality

Instagram: @jessika_power

Jessika Power is perhaps the most recognisable person ever from Married at First Sight Australia. She has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, Celebs Go Dating and Celebrity Ex on the Beach.

"I’m known as the 'husband-stealing witch,' 'a drama queen', 'a s**t-stirrer,' 'controversial' – all of that. I wanted to show that I’ve grown and matured," Jessika said.

"This was a show that was going to push me completely out of my comfort zone – which it absolutely did. I wanted to do this as a challenge for myself, but I also wanted to prove that people can change and grow, and that people on television shouldn’t be viewed with tunnel vision."

Ryan Moloney

Age: 45

Job: Actor

Instagram: N/A

Ryan Moloney has been on Australian TV screens for over 30 years, playing the beloved Jarrod “Toadie” Rebecchi on the classic show Neighbours, some episodes of which he has also directed.

Ryan said yes to Celebrity SAS as he viewed it as unmissable opportunity.

"I think probably the toughest part is the keeping up, just getting back up and making sure you keep going. You're so exhausted with nothing left and just have to get up and keep going, just keep going, just keep going.

"So that was the hardest part, but also the best lesson to learn," he said of his time on the show.

Ryan has appeared on other reality shows, including Celebrity Big Brother UK and The Masked Singer Australia, and has also performed in some UK pantomimes.

Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Age: 50

Job: Actor

Instagram: @natbassingthwaighte

Natalie Bassingthwaighte has had an expansive career, first rising to fame as the lead singer of Rogue Traders, whose biggest hits include like Voodoo Child and Watching You, before going in to star in the role of Izzy Hoyland in Neighbours.

Natalie decided to take part in Celebrity SAS to show her kids they can do anything they put their mind to: "I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of my strength and resilience utilising tools I have gathered over the years to help me to navigate hard situations. As well as to show my kids that strength isn’t just physical."

The singer and actress has previously taken part in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and The Amazing Race Australia. She has hosted So You Think You Can Dance Australia, and was a judge on The X Factor Australia and New Zealand.

Brad Hodge

Age: 50

Job: International cricketer

Instagram: @bradleyhodge302

Former cricketer Brad Hodge signed up for the show after being encouraged by his kids to take part.

He said: "I was in really good shape and training, so I felt “red hot” to nail it."

In order to prepare for the show, Brad did weighted walks to build up his fitness and stamina but claimed he was more nervous about the psychological challenge the show would present.

"I practiced being in confined spaces and water submersion. I had my son lock me in the boot of his car for around ten minutes a couple of times. That was awful. I even used a torch for the second couple of tries. The goal was to get comfortable with being uncomfortable," he revealed.

Emily Seebohm

Age: 33

Job: Olympic swimmer

Instagram: @emcbomb

Emily Seebohm is a former backstroke swimmer who has been breaking world records since she was as young as 14. She is a four-time Olympian, winning three Olympic golds along with silver and bronze medals, five World Championship golds, and seven Commonwealth Games golds.

She retired last year and since then has taken part in The Challenge Australia and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia, but has always wanted to take part in Celebrity SAS.

"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," the Olympian said.

Mack Horton

Age: 29

Job: Olympic swimmer

Instagram: @mackhorton

Mack Horton is another Olympic swimmer who retired in January 2024. Throughout his sport career where has know as the "Magnificent Mack", he won an Olympic gold in at Rio 2016, while also competing in multiple Olympic relay and distance events, and has earned four Commonwealth Games gold medals.

He wanted to take part in Celebrity SAS as he is keen to stay active since retiring from professional sport, saying that despite his sporting he still found taking part in the show a physical challenge.

"The physical challenge transports you to the mental challenge. Physically, if you have a sporting background, you know how to rally. But being constantly on edge mentally is very different. They’re very good at slowly wearing you down, and that’s the hardest part," he said.

Mack is married to his high school sweetheart and the couple are expecting their first child this month.

Axle Whitehead

Age: 44

Job: Actor and songwriter

Instagram: @axlewhitehead

Axle Whitehead is an Australian musician, actor, and TV personality best known for playing Liam Murphy on Home and Away. He also previously hosted Video Hits, The World’s Strictest Parents in Australia and the Australian version of The Wall.

Axle has been a big fan of the show since he was child and as a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, it was a no brainer that he would the accept the offer to take part, saying that the experience "changed his life".

"This opportunity came along at a time in my life when I was looking for something to get me back on track. I feel the most relaxed when I'm under extreme pressure. That's when I feel at peace," Axle said.

He added: "I also had a massive man crush on Foxy. He's a calm, warm, gentle man, but also a trained killer. And I was curious to find out what the psychological profile of a man like that is and what makes them tick?

"How can such a warm, gentle giant also be a trained soldier?"

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues on Monday 5th January 2026 at 9pm on Channel 4.

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