The countdown to SAS Australia is on, and Channel 7 have been slowly giving us previews as to what we can expect from the upcoming season. One of the celebrity contestants this year is recently retired NRL player Darius Boyd.
The athlete chose to enter the competition to help him step out of his comfort zone and challenge himself, but he didn’t realise just how difficult the course would be.
“It challenges you physically, mentally and emotionally and really strips you bare. Plus, it’s on national TV for the whole country to see,” he told Channel 7.
For Darius, life has been anything but easy. Raised by a single mother and his grandmother, the sports star has never had a relationship with his father.
He was only 17 when he was chosen to play in the Australian Schoolboys NRL team, and joined the Brisbane Broncos at the age of 18.
But while his career reached new heights, Darius faced a number of mental health challenges, which caused a strain on his marriage. He began to sleep with other people before suffering from a breakdown in 2014.
The entire ordeal resulted in him briefly separating from his wife Kayla, who told Channel 9 in 2017 that she had “had enough, I was 100 per cent done.”
But the two managed to overcome all obstacles and come out stronger, with Kayla helping Darius overcome his mental health issues.
“I ended up meeting up with him and he looked so sick,” Kayla said. “He just looked drained and exhausted, he hadn’t been eating, he hadn’t been sleeping, and it was like so scary.”
With Kayla by his side, Darius was able to beat his depression and return to the NRL in 2015.
Darius is one of 17 Aussie celebs embarking on a life-altering experience, where former SAS soldiers subject them to physical and psychological tests from the real SAS selection process.
Completely cut off from the outside world, the famous personalities will be stripped of their plushy lifestyles and will be required to eat, sleep and train together in tough conditions.
Returning to guide the recruits is Chief Instructor Ant Middleton and Directing Staff Ollie Ollerton. Joining them for the very first time will be retired US Navy SEAL Clint Emerson and former British Special Forces soldier Dean Stott.
SAS Australia premieres in February on Channel 7 and 7plus.
