Domestic violence victim to take on Who Dares Wins to prove how strong she is

A survivor of domestic violence hopes to prove she is stronger than ever on SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Brave Nicola McGrath jumped at the chance to take on TV’s toughest show to prove to herself that her past has not beaten her.

The civil servant endured 10 years of abusive relationships.

Nicola, 40, said: “The violence started when I was 15. I picked really bad men. I was head-butted, pushed downstairs and had car doors slammed on my legs.

“One time, I was dragged along the floor and ended up with carpet burns on my face.

“When you’re going through that, you keep it quiet. You’re embarrassed and don’t think people will believe you.

“I was really weak, really vulnerable and I let people walk all over me. I had no confidence. Domestic violence completely takes over your life.” Nicola’s situation hit crisis point when she was beaten up while six months pregnant.

She said: “On that occasion he kicked me in my back, punched me and started to strangle me, then dragged me across the room by my hair. I was screaming for help.

“I ended up in hospital. But that was good in a way because it meant I had to say something. I plucked up the courage to tell my family and managed to leave the relationship.”

Even after Nicola escaped, she was left suffering from severe anxiety.

But counselling and hypnotherapy have helped her to cope. She said: “My parents helped me so much. I had their help and support every day once I left the relationship. Without them I would have gone back to the relationship.

“I’ve also had mental health issues, which I’ve managed to tackle. I learned to love myself and built up my confidence.

“And then I met the man who is now my husband. He treats me like a princess. He is the sweetest gentleman you could ever meet.”

Fifteen years on from her terrible relationships, mum-of-three Nicola is now determined and fearless.

And as soon as she saw women were eligible to compete on SAS: Who Dares Wins, she applied to take part.

Nicola, who lives in Taunton, Somerset, said: “I signed up because I wanted to prove to my children how strong I am and put an end to everything I’ve been through.

“I’ve been looking for a challenge to help me prove that. I also wanted to show myself how brave I can be. There is a stigma surrounding domestic abuse. It takes a lot of courage to walk away.

“So if my story can help even one person, that would be amazing.”

On the new series, 25 recruits are put through hell by former special forces soldiers Ant Middleton, Jason Fox, Mark Billingham and Ollie Ollerton.

It was filmed in Scotland, meaning they faced freezing temperatures and harsh terrain.

Nicola said: “Some of the tasks we had to do were horrible. There were lots of times when I wanted to give up. But I was doing it for my children.

“And I want to show people that you can turn your life around. I’m so much stronger now than I was.

“I’d never let anybody lay a finger on me now. I’d stand my ground.”

Though she added: “I don’t have any anger for the men that were bad to me. I just hope they got some help.”