Blues U23s manager Kieron Dyer was medically withdrawn from Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins during last night’s episode having suffered a collapsed lung.
Earlier, in an emotionally-charged show, Dyer, 42, had spoken about the effect the childhood sexual abuse he revealed in his 2018 autobiography had had on his life and his relationships.
Prior to that he left Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, a member of the directing staff (DS), dazed after raining blows upon him in a task in which the celebrities were encouraged to take out their aggression on Fox, who was dressed in red padding. Afterwards Fox admitted, "He rattled my brain around in there.”
Dyer had been struggling with a broken rib which had hampered him for a number of days and eventually collapsed during an overnight task, leading to his withdrawal on medical advice.
"I started screaming with the pain,” he told the Daily Mirror. "My body shut down, my body was just breaking down and that was the end for me.
"I got taken to hospital and my broken rib had punctured my lung and it had collapsed. I just couldn’t breathe and then that’s when I keeled over.”
He added: "At the time the medic thought maybe I was having a panic attack. But the pain I was in when they were lifting me up, he knew it was more than that. It was horrible.”
During emotional scenes in which Dyer opened up about the impact of the abuse he suffered as a child, the former England international clearly moved chief instructor Ant Middleton and his staff.
The former Blues and England midfielder also expressed his determination to complete the course.
"Every time I’d spoke to the DS, they told me I was one of the strongest contestants,” he continued.
"Early on I got the start of hypothermia, the doctor appraised me, got me straight in by the fire, gets us wrapped up.
"I can remember I’m cramping up, and Ant then comes in and goes, ‘The reason why you’re like this is because you’re the only one who gives 110 per cent.’
"I don’t know if that’s a compliment or me being stupid, or what! So I was gutted to have to leave.”
Prior to the show being screened, Dyer outlined to TWTD why he had taken part: "I wanted to do the show because I was going into this job and one of the things I talk to the young players about is them not realising what their bodies can endure.
"They think they’re tired but they’ve got so much more to give. The human body is the greatest design, it can do things that are incredible at times.
"And the mental toughness that they need when they feel like quitting as well. They have to have that mental approach that they’ll never quit, so I just thought that the sometimes the best way to teach people is to show them.
"I thought if I was to go on the show and after day one I’m throwing in my armband and quitting because Ant Middleton’s shouting at me or I’m finding a task hard, it’s going to be very hard for me to come back and be the U23s manager to this group because they’ll laugh and say they’re not listening to a word I say because I’m mentally one of the weakest people. I thought that was another good reason why I should do the show.
"I’m just so thankful that I did the show because I think it enhanced me as a person, it definitely enhanced me mentally, it improved me as a coach.”
He added that Middleton has agreed to speak to the Town squad when he’s in Ipswich later this year.
"One of the good things to come out of the show is that I still speak to Ant, I know that Ant is doing a tour and he’s coming to Ipswich in November, I think Foxy has just announced he’s coming in January,” he said.
"I said to Ant that when he’s down in Ipswich to do his show that night, I’d ask the club if they’d like him to come and speak to the players and the staff.
"Not just my players but the first team players because I think it would be of huge benefit. I told Rollsy [director of performance Andy Rolls], I told [CEO] Mark Ashton about it, they seemed on-board with it.
"I told them this in June/July and November is a long way away but they said closer to the time to come with the plans.”