Trigger Warning: This article deals with the topic of suicide. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
Simone Holtznagel is the blonde beauty that hasn’t shied away from putting herself in painful, uncomfortable and death-defying situations on SAS Australia.
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But away from the gruelling military-style show, who is the outspoken 28-year-old? Simone found fame back in 2011 when she appeared on season seven of Australia’s Next Top Model, where she was named runner up to winner Montana Cox.
The show was judged by Australian model and actress Sarah Murdoch, fashion designer Alex Perry and New Zealand–Australian model and media personality Charlotte Dawson.
Charlotte and Simone formed a close bond on the show and Charlotte took the young model under her wing after it aired, dubbing Simone her “adopted daughter” as she made her way in the fashion industry.
Simone later went on to appear on on the fourth season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018, where Aussie viewers warmed to her quirky personality.
The Guess model got candid on her close bond with Charlotte, and shared her heartbreak over her friend’s death by suicide in 2014.
“Charlotte was one of my best friends and she was the mentor on Top Model. And we were very, very, very close,” Simone told her campmates at the time.
So why did Simone want to go from her glamourous lifestyle into the torturous SAS course? Sydney’s 2021 lockdown played a major part in her decision to sign up for the show’s third season.
After spending so much time indoors, Simone wanted to “challenge myself and take myself out of my comfort zone.”
“I knew it was going to be difficult, but it was just so real. I don’t think I was prepared for how overwhelming it would be,” the model said in her official statement about SAS.
“It surprised me just how real the experience was. It’s unlike anything I’ve been involved with production-wise. There was no interaction with anyone besides the DS and other recruits. It was really difficult to be surrounded by crew and not be able to speak to anyone.”
In a new interview with The West Australian, the star also said she was probably a little naïve about what she was signing on for.
“When they asked if I wanted to be a part of the show, it was when we were in the midst of lockdown so I thought it would be a great challenge and something to work towards,” she told the publication.
“I just looked at it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I really shot myself in the foot in doing SAS… when I did I’m A Celeb, I did absolutely everything, like I didn’t even second guess anything.
“But this time around, doing SAS, I did doubt myself a lot. But I think that’s just because, you know, I was very much out of my comfort zone, out of my league. And obviously, a lot of people were actual athletes, which I am most definitely not.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
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