Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Maisie Smith reveals she had 'proper cat fight' with Ferne McCann

Maisie Smith has shared how she had a 'proper cat fight' with reality star Ferne McCann during filming for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. A host of 14 famous faces were whisked off to the Jordanian desert as they signed up for the hit Channel 4 show which aims to raise money and awareness for cancer.

Former EastEnders actress Maisie, who played Tiffany Butcher and appeared as a contestant on Strictly in 2020, is among those who will be pushed to their limits as they're faced with both physical and mental challenges. Former The Only Way Is Essex star Ferne McCann is also taking part in the new series that will air on September 4.

And now Maisie has opened up on her time on the series, revealing she was given the nickname 'Tiny Temper' while filming. And it appeared to ring true as one scene will see the 21-year-old having to scrap with Ferne, 32, who "just went crazy".

READ MORE: Channel 4 Gogglebox star Lee shares exciting update as Jenny pays sweet tribute to co-star 'bezzie' following surgery

Maisie has told The Sun ahead of the new series: "I thought, 'OK. I need to step up my game'. I was going for a solid minute with just screaming and punching, like a proper cat fight. I got a couple of good punches in. It wasn’t like a normal boxing ring. It was nonstop."

She added: "I think neither of us wanted to do it. We just closed our eyes, pictured someone we hated and absolutely went crazy on each other!" And Maisie, who has since swapped the desert for the Strictly Ballroom tour, noticed the physical effects of the gruelling training exercise.

"At the start, I was trying to look in the coffee cups just to see if I had spots – and my hair fell out! For a good few showers, clump after clump," she told OK! Magazine. "I think it was just from having it in that tight bun and all the mud and sand stuck in it. But as the days went on, you just tend to stop caring at all."

The Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins 2022 line-up (PA)

Maisie, who reached the final of Strictly alongside professional partner Gorka Marquez, also said of signing up to the show: "I've seen [Celeb SAS] before and I really wanted to put my mental strength to the test. I've always pushed myself but this was beyond limits I didn't even know I had. It was the best experience of my life."

Former 2019 Love Island winner Amber Rose Gill , Ferne's ex-TOWIE co-star Pete Wicks, Olympic sprinter Dwain Chambers, taekwondo Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones, javelin Olympic gold medallist Fatima Whitbread, boxer Shannon Courtenay and Paralympic high jumper Jonathan Broom-Edwards have all signed up for the new series.

Former footballer Ashley Cain completed the line-up and will also take part in the military exercises for the all-important cause after losing his daughter, Azaylia Cain, at just eight-month-old after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.