Controversial actor Craig McLachlan will return to TV screens this year, joining the 2023 cast of SAS Australia.
Channel 7 has revealed McLachlan will be part of the reality series, making it his first TV appearance in five years, just months after recovering from major surgery.
The 57-year-old flew in from Sydney this week to train with former special forces in the Middle East, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Head Instructor Ant Middleton and his team will put the former star through his paces in what would be the series’ most grueling selection course to date.
The mission statement for the 2023 season says the training regimen will have the cast of “sweating balls”.
“A new batch of star recruits through the most grueling and extreme SAS selection course ever, this time in an international desert location that will make recruits sweat.
“From sinners to heroes, those who have fallen from grace or are in need of redemption, the celebrity slate for 2023 will be tested physically, emotionally and mentally like never before.”
McLachlan underwent abdominal surgery last year and had to pass a fitness test to qualify for the show.
His girlfriend Vanessa Scammell has revealed he almost missed out on the show after he was rushed to hospital in December.
“Craig’s race against time to gain weight, gain strength, and pass his fitness test after emergency abdominal surgery late last year was far from a done deal,” a- she declared.
“He was so methodical and careful in his post-op training. The biggest hurdle for him was being able to complete the prerequisites for the course.
The former soap opera star was embroiled in scandal for five years after being accused of indecent assault by his rocky horror show co-starring Christie Whelan Browne.
He has repeatedly denied the allegations. Charges were laid by Victoria Police and McLachlan was later cleared in 2020.
McLachlan then launched libel suits against ABC and Nine Network, but dropped the suit several days into the trial, the day 11 women would begin testifying against him.
“I can’t continue to put my family under this pressure, and my own mental health won’t withstand the continued pressure,” he said at the time.
Rumor has it that one nation leader Pauline Hanson has also signed up for the season of SAS Australia.
Other celebrities linked to the season include troubled AFL star Ben Cousins and transgender football manager Dani Laidley.
SAS Australia has had several controversial competitors in the past, including convicted drug dealer Schapelle Corby, former NRL player Sam Burgess and former Bra Boys gang member Koby Abberton.
