Exactly what I thought too, I was really shocked. We obviously don't live in a hot country, so it's never been that much of an issue. It was just that incident as a kid that just put me off forever. Sink or Swim will air on Channel 4 on Tuesday 27th August. There's so many people. Swim the equivalent length of the Channel with mates and raise life-saving cash. What’s the big idea? ... Channel 4’s reality television show Sink or Swim was a … It's a weird thing with swimming, you get into a rhythm, you're comfortable doing it, and you just swim. From celebrity events to exclusive Channel 4 shows, get the latest on Stand Up To Cancer, Find out more about Stand Up To Cancer UK, brought to you by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, Strong language and real life cancer stories. Plenty of other stereotypes are overturned in the opening episode of Sink Or Swim (Channel 4). I'm starting to lose weight, and the distance that I’m swimming is getting longer and longer. The fact that we were struggling in a lake which didn’t have the current or the cold of the sea was a real shock to the system and made us realise the magnitude of what we had taken on. Look, I have a relatively small platform compared to most but it’s enough that I can still shout about things and some people may listen. Back in 2019, the keen swimmer trained to cross the gruelling 21 miles as part of Channel 4's charity fundraising show, Sink Or Swim! I would happily jump into water, so long as I was right next to say a boat, or the side of a lake or whatever else. I think it would give me a real boost mentally. The Towie star has apparently blitzed more than three stone after signing up to Channel 4's new show Sink Or Swim, which put him through a gruelling training regime to … Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer - On Demand - Channel 4 Get involved today. Not a great swimmer myself and wouldn't rise to that challenge for all the tea in china, but a great cause and hats off to all of them for giving it a go! It’s that fear of not being able to breathe properly when you really want to breathe, you just start panicking. It's been tough. It’s not the distance I’m worried about, being out in the open sea, fingers crossed it will all be okay. It’s like a crash course! In partnership with Channel 4 and Twofour, part of ITV Studios, SwimQuest’s expert swim guides and coaches will be supporting the cast of famous faces – complete non-swimmers themselves, those with a fear of open water or those who have been taught to swim as children but now struggle to do so for health reasons – as they face this challenge and are pushed to their absolute limits. All I can do is put the work in now, work hard and hope that everything will be alright on the day. One of the instructors told me I could turn out to be the best swimmer on the show because my technique is good, physically I’m good, but I just need to get my breathing under control. I feel good. Alex Brooker on Sink or Swim. My mum had an awful experience as a kid which stopped her from ever enjoying swimming. What was your swimming ability before the show? How has that impacted your life as an adult? They have just 12 weeks to train for the relay swim across the open water and each member of the team needs to be as strong as the next. Very possibly. It’s been so overwhelming, it’s been so crazy because it’s like I have literally chucked myself in the deep end. Im quite surprised that the athletes cant swim, I would have thought it was part of overall training. I can do front crawl now! Ross Edgley is one of the swimming experts mentoring the celebrities in their Channel swim training. The … I used to always like doing mad stuff, and I used to swim underwater. Even though I've had medical checkups recently, my heart’s okay, I haven't got early signs of diabetes and my cholesterol is not too high, but I'm fully aware that if I carry on the way I was going then I could get heart problems and I could become ill or even die. I had a friend who wanted to teach me how to swim, he made it look so easy, but I was always terrified. I think that it’s thanks to this bad experience that she never wanted to encourage me to swim. Cancer changes lives, and so do we. If I do that I will die”. Channel 4 The final episode of Stand Up to Cancer show Sink or Swim aired tonight (September 17) on Channel 4, as the brave celebrities were faced with swimming the English Channel … Channel 4 brings us a brand new TV programme in aid of Stand Up To Cancer in 2019.. alongside the likes of … Georgia struggles with her anxiety, and Alex fears that a Channel swim could be a challenge too far. I’ve been in a pool about four times in my life but not to swim I just paddle and hold onto the side for dear life. Sink or Swim started on Channel 4 on 27 August, and continues every Tuesday at 9.15pm for a total of four episodes. How come you’ve got to adulthood and can’t swim? Alex Brooker 'heartbroken' over Sink Or Swim final episode as he vows to finish swim alongside James Argent and Wes Nelson. To donate, for more information or to take on your own Channel Challenge for … The reality show promises a host of … It really opened our eyes to the challenge that we’ve taken on because at the end of this we’re all supposed to be swimming the Channel. This series is for Stand Up To Cancer, is it a charity close to your heart? Sink Or Swim was a summer hit for Channel 4, averaging around 2 million viewers across its four-episode run. He is so specific in terms of technique, breathing and stamina, he’s always said we haven’t got enough time to mess around, so we must knuckle down from the beginning. When is Sink or Swim on? So, when my friends started going to boat parties I was just thinking, “There is no way I can go, they are all going to be in their bikinis and jumping off the side. How are you feeling about swimming across the Channel? Oh yeah, they’ll swim it’s just me! It's amazing, it's a lovely sensation! But equally, I quite enjoy being in those situations. How has not being able to swim impacted your life as an adult? I could just never get over that fear I felt as a child and that’s what has discouraged me from ever trying to learn as an adult. Alex is a 35-year-old comedian, TV presenter and journalist best known for his work on Channel 4 panel show The Last Leg. I've just always avoided it, like if there's water sports going on, filming and stuff for TOWIE, I'll just be like, "No, I'm not doing it. How has your starting on this new journey impacted your mental health? It's really been fantastic for me. But listen, it is really tough, but it's just we're motivated every week because of why we're doing this. My coach has been amazing, Harry is so strict but at the same time he is the nicest person. 4. Channel 4 brings Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer to our screens in 2019 which sees 10 celebrities have just 12 weeks to train for one of the hardest challenges in the world. So, I think our swim is not only just an opportunity for me to achieve something and swim the channel, it's also an opportunity to really sort my life out as well because I don't want to get ill. "No person in an attempt to swim the Channel shall use or be assisted by an artificial aid of any kind, but is permitted to grease the body before a swim, use goggles, wear one cap, nose clip, ear plugs and one costume ." How to Lose Weight Well: Interview with Presenters Dr Helen Lawal and Dr Javid Abdelmoneim. It's a real shame this Hollyoaks actress is perpetuating the stereotype that black girls don't swim because of their hair. But now I can have an opportunity to go and experience what others have been doing all their lives. Please note terms and conditions apply, and are accessible via the link at the bottom of the page. I'm going to carry on, that is the best thing about my job, it I can use it to help raise awareness then I will. So, from that point of view I don’t think I have missed out. I don't think I'm going to be able to do this." What was it like moving from the pool to start training in Lake Windermere? At one point, I genuinely thought, "I think this is impossible. is a traditional mainstay of the people on the islands. I remember not going on a girl’s holiday because I knew they were going to want to be by the pool and I didn’t want to have to explain that I couldn’t swim. Down time for the channel. I just did it back then, he literally threw me in the deep end. This challenge is part of Stand Up To Cancer, is it a disease that has impacted your family? And then it just clicks. I want to get some specially made, an exact replica of the Speedos that Ray Winstone wore in that film, that's what I want to swim the channel in. Please credit Channel 4 and include transmission details. We realised just how exposed we were going to be when we were out there open to the elements, was terrifying. Sink or Swim, Channel 4 review - the Channel awaits for these celebrities The latest celebrity format lacks tension or conflict by Veronica Lee Wednesday, 28 August 2019 Has not being able to swim held you back in your adult life? Yeah, neither my mum or my dad can swim, they are both more into the fitness in the gym then they are in the pool. SINK or Swim has made its debut on Channel 4, showing a number of celebrities gearing up to swim the English Channel. I’ve never had lessons, one of the first things I remember as a child is we used to go to Cyprus every year and my dad basically threw my goggles in the pool and was like, "Go get them” and I’d jump in, that’s how I learnt to swim. That’s why I always thought that I should learn how to swim at some point, but I’ve just never got around to it until now. New Channel 4 reality TV show Sink or Swim will see celebrities take part in an English Channel relay in aid of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Sink Or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer returns next Tuesday on Channel 4 at 9.15pm. How have you found the training for this challenge? JAMES Argent and Greg Rutherford looked devastated as their attempt to swim the English Channel for Channel 4's Sink or Swim had to be rescued due to bad weather. I'm so lucky that none of my immediate family have ever been affected. Alex Brooker in Sink or Swim for Stand Up to Cancer (Photo: Channel 4) She’s part of the shocking statistic that 25 per cent of adults in the UK – a nation surrounded by water – … It didn’t really bother me as a kid, but I really noticed it once I got into my adult years, especially when it came to holidays. The sea is just not something for me, I’ll go in the pool to cool off on holiday but that’s it and I won’t go out of my depth. I can't speak for the others, but me personally, because I know I'm putting in quite a lot of work and really trying, I'm sort of getting my head around all of the different fears etc. I feel so happy at the moment. Take on your own swimming challenge. Quotes from James ‘Arg’ Argent, Wes Nelson, Georgia Kousoulou, Greg Rutherford & Rachel Adedeji, Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer starts on Tuesday 27th August at 9.30pm on Channel 4. To donate, for more information or to take on your own Channel Challenge for SU2C, please visit channel4.com/su2c. Funnily enough there are three athletes doing the show – me, Tessa Sanderson and Linford Christie and none of us can swim! I’m a big believer in that and as I said, having been through what this disease can do, it gives me the desire to do all I can to help. They aren’t confident swimmers. The celebrities face their fears for the first time with a punishing 500-metre swim in Windermere. It's been really good to get myself into a good routine and structure and to exercise every day. If I’m being completely honest it was non-existent! People assume because I’m an athlete that I can swim, but I can’t. I'm quite lucky because while I'm a big guy, I've got really good buoyancy levels, I float really easy in the water, so I don't really have to worry about drowning. I just thought that while swimming it’s not something I am good at there are so many people around the country who are really suffering because of this horrific disease and if there is anything that I can do, even in a small way, to help, then I need to do it. It was never something I was really interested in, I was always a bit fearful of it. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/sink-or-swim-for-stand-up-to-cancer By taking these embed codes you are agreeing to the terms and conditions. Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer starts on Tuesday 27th August at 9.30pm on Channel 4. Oh my God, massively. Sink or Swim was commissioned for Channel 4 for by Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, Steven Handley. I think it’s really important that if you’re in a situation where you can, then you should. Sair Khan, a star of Coronation Street and a reality show … What stopped you learning to swim properly growing up? I feel pretty relaxed at the moment. It's easy to float! My Bake Off breakdown Bake Off winner John Whaite has warned this … It’s one thing swimming in a pool where you know that if you need a breather you can hold onto the side, but there’s no side in the Channel! I literally never learnt to do a front crawl, I didn’t have a clue. Sink or Swim is the brand new celebrity challenge show airing on Channel 4. Do you feel a sense of pride that you can use your platform to raise awareness and help other people from losing their grandad? You often hear or see in the news that when people become sick they want to tick things off their bucket list, and they get it done despite the fact they are so ill. How are you feeling about the actual challenge at the end of all this? That’s my big problem. The first thing I always do when I get to a pool is ask how deep it is because I can only walk across it. Celebrities filming Sink or Swim at Tinside Lido (Image: Megan Howell). Oh wow, Lake Windermere was a massive eye-opener for me, not just for me but for everyone. Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer airs on Channel 4 from Tuesday, August 27th 2019. Getting the boat situated, gathering supplies, opening mail and doing some exercises. Steven Handley, commissioning editor for Entertainment at Channel 4 said: “Sink or Swim … I basically could do doggy-paddle and breast stroke. I mean the one thing I did, which I think I was fortunate, I've never been afraid of water. I have been watching a Channel 4 TV programme called Sink Or Swim in which 11 people, who previously could not swim or who were afraid of the water, are being trained and coached, over a period of 3 months, to prepare them to swim the English Channel in aid of the charity Stand Up To Cancer.Some of these are ‘celebrities’ I have heard of, most are not, but, regardless of who they are, I … It's just come at the right time. I’ve never liked being in water especially open water when you don’t know what’s underneath you and it just feels so big. It's getting closer and closer, and that scares the life out of me. Nope." I’ve gone from not being able to swim properly more than a meter or so to then, in such a short space of time, having to prepare to swim across the English Channel. It's been fantastic for me. The catch? The fact that this challenge is part of this charity is one of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of it. Which celebrities will take part in Sink or Swim? If I'm going to get in it, I want a life jacket, you know what I mean? So, one of my favourite films is Sexy Beast with Ray Winstone, he’s incredible in that so my dream is to swim the Channel in my own pair of Sexy Beast Speedos. The thing is, I had no fear back then. I think when you’re really into sport you end up focussing on one thing and everything else falls away. Sink or Swim, Channel 4’s new reality TV offering, will see a bunch of your favourite famous faces take to the water in a bid to raise money and awareness for … The new series sees non-swimming celebrities take to the water in support of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). It’s insane when you think about it. So, if they can do things like learn to swim while also battling a horrific disease, then I can do this, I must do this. The main problem for me is my breathing, it’s always been my fear of putting my head under water. that a lot of people probably would have, I feel quite confident with it. Do you think you've missed out on anything through your life because you can’t swim? It’s one of those things that feels so overwhelming you have to kind of not think about it. Your cash supports helps get treatments over the line faster. Certainly no wetsuits, and the regulations regarding the swim costumes are quite rigid. This clip is for promotional use only. Sink or Swim is a BBC TV sitcom created and written by Alex Shearer.It ran for three series between 4 December 1980 and 14 October 1982 and stars Peter Davison as Brian Webber and Robert Glenister as his brother Steve.. Brian lives in a flat above a petrol station in London (in the last series he moved to Newcastle to attend university). What was your swimming ability going into this challenge? Sink or Swim - Channel 4 ... As a 42 year old who can't swim and is completely terrified of water (despite going on cruise holidays and just last week did a rather scary boat trip to the Farne Islands from Seahouses) this programme is probably the first thing that has really made me want to learn. I mean, it's not going to be easy, it's going to be probably quite horrible at times. James ‘Arg’ Argent, Wes Nelson, Linford Christie, Sair Khan and more are put through their paces in order to swim the English Channel to raise money for SU2C. It's been extremely tough, but every single week I’m improving, we all are, and we're swimming further and further. Obviously, I'll go on a big boat, but I'm not jumping in. Go t the Caribbean and you'll see that going to the beach on a Sunday and swimming! But some people around me have, friends’ mums, friends' family, cousins, you know? Sink or Swim for Stand Up To Cancer sees 10 celebrities take on the huge challenge of swimming across the English Channel. Are you doing anything to motivate yourself? I tend to panic, and that panic is something that is only just starting to go now even after four weeks of training. Go and see how decisions on whether going to be or the river are to be made. Anything I can do to raise money and raise awareness, I'm going to do it. Have you ever doubted whether you could actually do it? I've got my no intentions of doing it. What impact has your weight had on your life? Do any of your family have the same worries about swimming? 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