SAS Australia vs England: Meet the celebrity cast taking on brutal desert mission

Ryan Moloney is one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television, best known for playing Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi on Neighbours.

He left the soap opera in June 2024 after 30 years as the iconic character, and now, he’s taking on his biggest challenge yet.

The actor will be taking on his biggest fears on the series, including his fear of heights.

“You’ll never get this kind of opportunity to do these kinds of activities with these people, and to really just throw yourself in the deep end and see what comes out at the end,” he says of signing up for the show.

“I think you’ve just got to say ‘yes’ to these opportunities. Whether you’re scared or not, you’ve just got to take it on.”

Joining Ryan on the Aussie SAS team is fellow Neighbours royalty, Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

She starred on the soap opera for three years before going on to find fame as an award-winning singer.

She’s already taken on The Amazing Race, and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, but this will push her to her limits.

It’s not the first time she’s been offered a chance to star on SAS, but this time, she felt she was ready for the challenge.

“I was given the opportunity a couple of years ago, and at the time, I was terrified of the thought of the show. I’d watched it and
thought, ‘oh my god, no’,” she admits.

“At that point in my life, I didn’t think it would be beneficial for my mental health. I was working through a few things personally and just
didn’t feel ready.

“This time around, though, I felt braver. I’d done a lot of work on myself over the last couple of years, mentally and emotionally.

“Physically, I’ve had limitations for a long time; arthritic feet, I’m 50, so that part hadn’t really changed.”

Jessika Power is no stranger to the limelight, having become quite the controversial character on Married At First Sight in 2019.

She gained notoriety on the reality TV series for her affair with Dan Webb, but is keen to prove she’s much more than just a reality TV star.

“I’m known as the husband-stealing witch, a drama queen, a s***-stirrer, controversial. All of that,” she admits.

“There have been so many years between shows where I just wanted to prove myself. I wanted to show that I’ve grown and matured.

“This was a show that was going to push me completely out of my comfort zone, and help me prove that people can change and grow.”

Mack Horton is no stranger to pushing himself to his physical limits, having represented Australia at two Olympic Games.

The 29-year-old won gold in the 400m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Games, and has four Commonwealth gold medals to his name.

In his personal life, he’s also taken on the challenge of fatherhood, having welcomed his first child earlier this year.

So, will his background help him to beat SAS?

“I just wanted to be challenged and see what it was like,” he says.

“I didn’t go in wanting anything other than to feel uncomfortable and pushed. I definitely got that.”

Mack’s not the only one athlete ditching the pool for the desert on SAS, as he’s joined by fellow Olympian Emily Seebohm.

Emily has no shortage of accolades to her name, having won three Olympic golds in the 4x100m relays, along with individual silver and bronze medals.

She has broken world records and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009, and now she’s representing her country on SAS.

As well as making her country proud, Emily wants to be a good role model for her two-year-old son, Sampson.

“I’ve always wanted to do SAS at some point in my life,” she says.

“I think I always assumed it would come later, but it felt like now was 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.”

Axle rose to fame on Australian Idol in 2003 and later launched a successful music career.

He was also a host on Video Hits and portrayed Liam Murphy on Home and Away for four years.

Axle’s acting credits also include Shameless, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Neighbours, and now he’s trying his hand at SAS.

And he’s more than prepared, given that he was due to sign up two years ago, but injured a disc in his back and had to undergo four operations, putting him out of action.

“I’d broken up with my fiancé [Liezl Carstens] and I had lost my confidence and my love for music.

“This came up at a time where I was looking for something to get me back on track.”

Though it wasn’t meant to be the first time around, he’s back and is looking forward to the challenge.

Rounding out the Aussie team is Brad Hodge, who is no stranger to a global rivalry, having represented Australia in the 2007 World Cup-winning cricket squad.

His competitive spirit has already earned him records for the most runs and centuries in Australian interstate one-day matches, so he will no doubt be a fierce opponent on SAS.

Since retiring, he has become a commentator on 7Cricket, and Brad admits that his biggest fear on SAS was being “judged”, something he’s dealt with throughout his whole career.

“I wanted people to see that I’ll never give up and push through challenges,” he adds.

“I also wanted to show my kids that Dad’s a badass, whether or not that part even makes it to the show.”

Former rugby player Ben Cohen is leading the UK team, and holds some rival records of his own.

He was part of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad and is the second-highest scorer in England’s history.

The winger, 47, has earned 57 caps for England and an MBE for his services to the sport.

Since retiring, he has appeared on major reality TV shows, including Strictly Come Dancing, The Jump and The Full Monty.

Now, he’s facing SAS, and Ben admits he had to channel his sportsman nature to take on the challenge.

“Everything was telling me no, don’t do it,” he says of signing up for the show.

“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.”

With two stints on Love Island under her belt, Gabby is best-known as a reality TV star.

The 34-year-old first appeared on Love Island‘s third UK season in 2017, coming in fourth place alongside Marcel Somerville.

She later returned for Love Island All Stars in 2025, and won alongside her partner Casey O’Gorman, though they have since split.

However, she’s also a fitness entrepreneur and is keen to show there’s more to her than meets the eye on SAS.

“Being from Love Island, I felt like I was automatically pigeonholed because there you only get to see me talking about my feelings and sitting there in a bikini looking cute,” she reveals.

“This was an opportunity to showcase a side of me that people might not have seen.”

Brad isn’t the only cricketing star heading to the desert, as England Ashes winner Graeme Swann is joining him.

Graeme was famously a key player in England’s Ashes wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and is renowned as one of the country’s best all-round spin bowlers.

The 46-year-old is facing off against Australia once again, but will he have what it takes to win again?

“I’ve got three kids, and I wanted to show that even though I’m nearly 50, I’m willing to get out there and do something genuinely hard,” he says.

Dani Dyer is well-known for having won Love Island alongside her then-partner, Jack Fincham, in 2018.

She has since carved out a career for herself as a successful reality TV star, but she also comes from quite the famous family.

Her father is none other than EastEnders star Danny Dyer, who played Mick Carter on the soap opera for more than 10 years.

He has most recently garnered attention for joining the cast of Rivals, which also stars David Tennant and Emily Atack, among others.

In another famous link, Dani is also married to West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen!

She’s no stranger to a physical challenge, having climbed Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief in 2019.

“I’ve always been a massive fan of the show,” she says of joining SAS.

“When the opportunity came around, I just couldn’t say no.

“These sorts of opportunities don’t really come around often so I thought, “let’s have a go”, let’s see if I can actually do it.”

Jack Joseph is a social media creator with over six million followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

Known for his relatable videos and sharp wit, Jack is being taken far out of his comfort zone on this gruelling challenge.

However, he’s not a complete stranger to the military, given his father worked as a REME mechanic.

He’s keen to prove he’s got what it takes and conquer his fears of heights and helicopters, and his claustrophobia.

“I used to wake up, meditate and do all the right things, but as work got busier, I neglected that and settled into a more comfortable routine,” he admits.

“It became hard to break that cycle. I needed something to push me out of it.”

Another TikTok star keen to prove himself on SAS is Cole Anderson-James.

He found fame on social media during the Covid-19 lockdowns with his videos lip-syncing along to Ricky Gervais famous character, David Brent.

Now, he has over four million followers across social media, and his success even earned him a role in Gervais’ acclaimed Netflix comedy, After Life.

Cole has also appeared on The Emily Atack Show and has an amusing social media sketch series set in a fish and chips shop.

However, Cole had no idea what he was in for when he signed up for SAS, having never watched the brutal show before!

“Everyone else trained,” he shares, revealing he only found out he was cast six hours before his flight out.

“They had trained with weighted vests and stuff for a couple of months. I hadn’t done anything.

“And I’d never even seen the show before. I wish I had, because then I’d know how the DS were.”

Finally, rounding out the UK team is none other than Olympian Toby Olubi.

Toby first competed as a sprinter before transitioning to bobsleigh, helping to secure Britain’s first gold at the Whistler World Cup.

He went all the way to the 2018 Winter Olympics and broke the world record for the fastest bobsleigh run at 97 mph.

Proving himself to be a physical powerhouse, he is also known as Phantom on the UK version of Gladiators.

He certainly seems ready for the fitness challenge on SAS, but will his endurance be enough?

According to Toby, no! He insists he was the “least prepared” out of the entire cast and was “extremely sleep-deprived” when they started filming.

“On SAS you can’t hide. You can’t fake it,” he says.

“You can only be your authentic self, and I really relished that.”