SAS hardman Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham feared he’d killed Pete Wicks during filming when the Strictly star collapsed on a New Zealand mountain.
The former special forces hardman had to call in medics when Pete suddenly struggled to breath and fell to the floor during a gruelling challenge.
And in shocking scenes Billy, 59, warns: “He ain’t going to make it, he’s going to die.”
The drama unfolds in Sunday’s episode of the Channel 4 series as the remaining recruits are forced to pull a sled up a snowy mountain.
They are supposed to be in pairs but Pete, who as teamed up with comic Tez Ilyas, 41, ends up going it alone.
But the move proves too much for the reality star who starts to struggle and then sensationally collapses with Billy ordering in medics on a special snowmobile to rescue him.
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Speaking exclusively to The Sun about the incident, Pete, 36, explained: “Look, that was a tough challenge. I collapsed.
“I just pushed myself to a limit and I was very dehydrated.
“Weird enough, I think I'm the only person that gets heat exhaustion in the f****** snow. I hadn't looked after myself and it's a fine line between getting stuff right and wrong.”
It’s the former TOWIE star’s second shot at the course after he was medically withdrawn in a previous series after breaking his ribs.
And Pete feared history was going to repeat itself.
He added: “I just thought, ‘here we go again’. The only difference with this was that it wasn't an accident.
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“At least I pushed myself. I didn't feel like I'd reached my limit yet. But of course it was a fear of being pulled out again, you know, striking out twice.”
Asked why he even bothered to take on the show for a second time, he continued: “I’m not entirely sure if anyone else would ever go back and do it twice. I must be the only nutter that agreed to do it!
“My nan used to say I’m like a cockroach, pretty unhealthy but I’d survive a nuclear war.
“I’m mentally a lot stronger than I am physically, it’s probably 90% mental and 10% strength.
“I am starting to get a beer belly and tits but maybe I’ll do something that I’m actually proud of because there hasn’t been much of that.”
Returning to the show, which was filmed last year, was a big decision for Pete who admits that part of his reason was to prove to fans he’s not a failure.
He explained: “I was medically withdrawn, I felt like I hadn't given it my best, and that bothered me. So when I got an opportunity to go back, I jumped in.
“I think I probably learned along the way that I was maybe trying to prove something to other people and that's not what I needed to be doing.
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“It was about testing myself and doing it for myself, which I thought was the reason I was doing it initially, but actually, I think it was more down to the fact that I was trying to prove to other people for some reason, and that was wrong.”
Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins airs Sunday and Monday nights on Channel 4 at 9pm.
