John Barrowman branded ‘pathetic’ by SAS: Who Dares Wins followers

John Barrowman was branded ‘pathetic’ by Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins viewers as he quit the show after just 32 minutes during Sunday’s opening episode. 

The former Doctor Who actor, 57, joined a host of other celebrities as they undertook SAS winter warfare training in the south islands of New Zealand.

John, who opened up about the flashing allegations he faced in 2021 that led to his axe from the DOI judging panel while on the show, began to vomit shortly after arriving at base camp for the first challenge. 

After the contestants put on their army uniforms the actor began heaving and declared ‘I’m out’.

Asked by expert  Mark Billingham if he would like to see a doctor, John said: ‘No, I’m done. I just, it’s not for me, I know who I am and what I’m about, it’s not for me’.

As the voice over said: ‘After only 32 minutes on base, number 13 John is the first recruit to leave the course.’

Viewers had little sympathy for the actor and taking to X branding him ‘pathetic’ and a ‘diva’.

Writing:  ‘Never seen anything more pathetic in my life. I bet you thought this might be a shot at redemption as well. Whoopsie!’: ‘Pathetic from John Barrowman’: ‘John Barrowman 32 minutes’: ‘FFS John Barrowman, I knew you were a diva, didn’t think you were a huge wuss as well, certainly done yourself no favours there’.

‘I hope John Barrowman wasn’t paid for that pathetic effort‘: ‘Can’t believe John Barrowman quits the only show that was actually willing to give him a job after just 32 minutes. What a prat’.

During the episode, John addressed the accusations that he had repeatedly exposed himself on the set of the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who and its sister show Torchwood.

He said: ‘The press made the allegation that I was going around putting my dick on everybody’s shoulders.

‘Having that happen to me ruined me, but this course is going to help me push through this and I want people to see the kind of person that I really am.’

He later added: ‘On Doctor Who and Torchwood, I had to do a lot of nude scenes. If I were being stupid, I would do something stupid.

‘I would shake and waggle or I might do a scene where I might have one of my bollocks hanging out.

‘The press made it out that I was a sexual deviant. We’ve all done stupid things and silly things, but what’s been said about me will never go away now.’

It comes after John admitted he thought about taking his own life after being accused and said his world came crashing down and his career in TV came to a standstill.

John said he spiralled into a deep depression, so bad he contemplated suicide, telling The Mirror: ‘I had thoughts of suicide, going out and trying to do certain things and harm myself, and a couple of times debating how I was going to kill myself. The thing was I couldn’t do it because of my family and friends,’

John issued a public apology in May 2021 after the claims emerged he had flashed cast members on the sets of Doctor Who, where he began playing Captain Jack Harkness in 2005 and spin-off series Torchwood a year later.

The actor described his actions as ‘tomfoolery’ that he’d ‘never do now’, but slammed critics, who he said sought to portray his actions as ‘sexual harassment’. 

He was later dropped from Dancing On Ice after pressure from figures including the Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke, who said it would be wrong to include him on a ‘family show’ as this could be soon as ‘condoning’ his past behaviour.

Despite being sacked from Dancing On Ice, John controversially still appeared on All Star Musicals, another ITV show. He was also forced to cancel his Centre Stage tour due to poor ticket sales.  

He said: ‘Something that was a stupid prank that was done amongst cast members and who the cast members never complained, never said anything about, but a narrative was created that apparently I was going around and throwing my c**k on people’s shoulders, which was not true.

‘We had pranks, but they were amongst the company members and we all laughed and had fun. I was being, in a sense, publicly punished and humiliated for those things and also being cancelled.’ 

John said it made him devastated to be called a ‘sexual harasser’ and insisted he ‘would never do anything to harm a woman or a man or anybody, transgender, you name it’.

SAS: Who Dares Wins’ latest series also includes Rachel Johnson, who is the sister of former prime minister Boris Johnson, reality star Pete Wicks, former Olympic gymnast Ellie Downie, comedian Tez Ilyas, professional basketball player and Love Island star Ovie Soko and world heavyweight champion boxer Lani Daniels.

Reality TV Star Bianca Gascoigne, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, TV Presenter Cherry Healey, former professional boxer Anthony Ogogo, comedian Shazia Mirza, Love Island contestant Georgia Harrison, reality star Bobby Norris and former Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson complete the line-up.

Series six of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will air on Channel 4 every Sunday and Monday from September 22, at 9pm. 

For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org