Yahoo Lifestyle 
SAS star Mark Philippoussis reveals task that made him break down
He’s one of the final five celebrities still competing on SAS Australia, but Mark Philippoussis has revealed that the hardest task he endured is yet to air on TV.
Speaking with Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa, the tennis champion opened up about a future challenge on the show that involved the recruits writing death notices to their families.
The 44-year-old said that they were instructed to do it on day 13 of the experience as it is something that real-life SAS recruits would have to do.
“Ant [Middleton] said that every time they’d leave for a mission they would be asked to write a death letter just in case they wouldn’t come back so it could be passed on to your family,” he explained.
“I wasn’t thinking about my family at that stage because you’re so non-stop, you’re exhausted so you didn’t have time to think about home and I felt like I didn’t want to go there anyway because it would’ve been a weakness for me and I wanted to stay strong.”
RELATED:
SAS star Dan Ewing reveals secret deal made with fellow contestant
SAS Australia’s Jett Kenny on huge physical toll: 'Couldn't lift them'
Mark went on to say that he was “physically, emotionally and psychologically drained” and broke down when he was asked to read it out loud.
“It was so incredibly powerful,” he reflected. “It put everything in perspective. It really showed at the end of the day what really is the most important thing.”
The athlete, who lost 8kg while on the military-training show, also spoke about what he was most nervous about going into the two-week intensive course.
“It was, for me, not to overthink, which I did a lot in the first two or three days,” he acknowledged.
“I’m that person that overthinks things, my mind goes a million miles an hour nonstop and it’s about telling myself to calm down and just take it as it comes.”
Mark’s admission comes shortly after he was interrogated by Chief Instructor Ant Middleton and detailed what his life was like at the height of his fame.
“I was changing my cars because I would get bored, or I’d watch this new movie, Bad Boys, [and go] ‘Oh my god they’ve got the new Porsche turbo’ and call up my agent, ‘Find me the new Porsche turbo’. That’s how ridiculous it was,” he said.
“So, the prize money doesn’t make you happier but it ends up becoming the new norm. Sometimes now I just shake my head and laugh and go, ‘What an idiot’.”
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
