Bimini says Celebrity SAS was ‘a challenge I needed’

Exclusive: ‘Drag Race’ star and musician says they were going through ‘a lot of personal changes’ when they were offered the chance to take part

Drag Race star and musician Bimini has said that Celebrity SAS was a challenge they needed as a way of overcoming some challenges in their personal life.

The Drag Race UK 2021 runner-up took part in the latest series of Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, alongside fellow celebrities including musician Lucy Spraggan, dancer Louie Spence, rapper Lady Leshurr and former Love Island star and fitness coach Adam Collard.

In the gruelling show, stars take part in a modified version of SAS training, where they are culled by the directing staff or able to quit themselves if they are finding the tasks too difficult. Those who successfully make it through the training are declared the winners.

“It’s something that’s so out of my comfort zone that I’d not normally do, ever,” Bimini explained on the Good Vibrations podcast.

“It was [also] at a time where I was going through a lot of personal changes – I was moving management, I was going through some personal things in my life, and I think I needed something to focus on.

“This was a challenge, and I love a challenge… so I just went for it.”

Bimini on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins (Channel 4)

Bimini suggested that the mental challenges of the show were more difficult than the physical tasks, in many respects.

“Some people who maybe weren’t the most physically fit did really well in the show, because I think if you’ve got that grit and tenacity and the mental drive to keep going, you’ll just keep going,” they said.

“It’s high-pressure, and I know people will probably go like, ‘Oh it’s fabricated,’ but it is not – what you’re seeing is actually not as bad as it was!”

They revealed they were still in a WhatsApp group with their former co-stars: “It’s nice to have built that, and I think the reason we did is because we got thrown into something that is quite unique, and we needed to have each other to get through it.”

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Before appearing on the show, Bimini spoke about how they wanted to push back against gender stereotypes and traditional notions of “strength” while taking part.

“Throughout my life, I’ve always enjoyed a physical challenge,” they said, “whether it was dancing, yoga, fitness, pole dancing… I like the athleticism there.

“So going into it, I knew I could probably do the physical challenges, it was whether I could do the mental [ones],” they explained during the Good Vibrations interview. “But as a solid member of the LGBTQ+ community… we are very resilient. Very strong. We’ve been through a lot to get to where we are now.”

They continued: “That’s kind of what gets me through in a way, because there is resilience within our community and I think I have that built in… I think most queer people do.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Bimini spoke about their DJ shows and offered some clues about their next single, having recently released a remix of the 2004 Anastacia hit, “Left Outside Alone”.

The full episode of Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations will be available to listen to on all streaming platforms from Friday 29 August. You can find all other episodes so far here.