John Barrowman 'quits Celebrity SAS after just hours - and another star leaves after 24'

John Barrowman has abruptly exited Celebrity SAS just two hours into filming, according to Rachel Johnson.

The renowned actor, best known for portraying Captain Jack Harkness in "Doctor Who" and Malcolm Merlyn in "The Arrowverse", opted out during the initial tour of their lodgings, Boris Johnson's sibling reveals. At 59 years old, Rachel Johnson is a competitor alongside John on the challenging series.

The highly-anticipated Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is set to premiere on Sunday, September 22, airing every Sunday and Monday at 9pm on Channel 4. However, it appears that the demanding nature of the show, filmed in New Zealand, proved too intense for the 57 year old actor, as per Rachels comments.

She disclosed to Mail Online: "John left like two hours in. He did the first day and then he voluntarily withdrew in camp. When we were doing the tour of the accommodation."

In a similar vein, reports suggest that dancing sensation Louie Spence also called it quits after a mere 24-hour stint, having underestimated the extremities of the series. An industry insider conveyed to The Sun that Spence was initially excited to be amidst the robust instructors hailing from stringent military backgrounds, reports the Mirror.

Yet, their uncompromising fitness regimes quickly overshadowed his enthusiasm. Even with an early departure, Spence reportedly bore no hard feelings and felt thankful for the short-lived venture.

Rachel, discussing her choice to participate in Celebrity SAS, revealed she sought advice from Matt Hancock, who was on the show previously. She shared with us: "I never watch shows before I do them, because I find it too off putting. I did not know anything about it, but I knew Matt had done it. So, I rang him up."

Hancock's succinct guidance for her was: "It's brutal, but amazing."

Rachel continued: "He then said, 'Do you want to come on a training run? ' And I was like, 'Why? ' and he said, 'You have to be really fit.' I wasn't fit at all but I didn't go! I spent the weeks before the show at Wimbledon drinking Pimms! ".