SAS Australia star unrecognisable in throwback snap

SAS Australia has taken audiences by storm this year, with the tough as nails reality show proving a startling hit amongst the standard romance and drama-based reality TV offerings that have been struggling to secure eyeballs of late.

Not only are the celebrity recruits behind the pull of the series, but the brutal staff who run the show have built themselves a very solid fanbase too.

Image of SAS Australia Ollie Ollerton throwback photo
This throwback of an SAS Australia star has fans muddled. Photo: Seven

They might be easily identifiable to Aussie fans these days, but it seems some years ago they would have passed totally incognito on the street if a startling throwback snap shared by the show’s Facebook page is anything to go by.

The Channel Seven show had fans scratching their heads when they shared an unrecognisable old snap of one of the show’s Directing Staff on Sunday evening, encouraging them to try and place the face.

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The snap shows one of the DS at 18 years old in a military portrait.

Image of DS O llie Ollerton SAS Australia
Eventually fans recognised DS Ollie Ollerton in the old photo. Photo: Seven

Eventually, eagle-eyed fans discerned it was none other than DS Ollie Ollerton as a baby soldier, though not without some pretty demanding mental gymnastics, apparently.

“You’d give aspirin a headache,” one fan wrote. “That was a good one.”

“Haha cheekbones are a dead give away!” one more discerning fan wrote.

“Ollie!” others correctly guessed.

It seems the now-50-year-old’s fans are not just interested in his prowess on the show either.

“Still sexy!’ one lady wrote.

The show has been teasing fans with jaw-dropping transformation snaps between episodes.

Lats week a throwback of a young, very handsome Ant Middleton had several fans similarly distracted.

SAS Australia's Ant Middleton
Ant Middleton cut a very different figure in this throwback photo shared by the show. Photo: Seven
Ant Middleton Chief Instructor SAS Australia
Ant has some very serious fans, the photo revealed. Photo: Seven

“I could watch, look at this man for days,” one enthusiastic viewer wrote.

“Yes, a bit of a cutie pic! “ another wrote. “I have a mum crush.”

“He's the only reason I'm watching the show!” another die-hard fan admitted.

It’s not just the smouldering DS that has kept most people watching, however, with the some of the program’s recruits keeping thing interesting off screen with a series of bitter feuds and savage comments coming out as the episodes go to air.

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