Survivor star Rach Carstairs has revealed that she underwent a painful procedure before jetting off to the Dominican Republic to film the BBC reality show.
Hosted by Joel Dommett, the programme sees 18 contestants marooned in a deserted location, where they are split into two tribes and tasked with competing in a range of physical and mental challenges.
The players are voted out of their tribes one by one until the two teams eventually emerge. They then go head to head in a bid to win the £100,000 cash prize and the title of Sole Survivor.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, Rach, who is currently training for a bikini body-building competition, revealed that she had all four of her wisdom teeth removed just two weeks before appearing on the programme, and lost over a stone as a result.
"Before going on the show, my coach Claire had adjusted my plan and really boosted up my food, because I actually got my wisdom teeth out two weeks before," explained the 23-year-old.
© BBC"Before I got the call, I remember just sobbing and being like, 'I'm never gonna be able to go, I just had my wisdom teeth out!'"
Thankfully, by the time Rach got the call confirming her place in the competition, she felt much better.
"From the day that I was able to eat until actually going out, I could eat whatever I wanted," she explained. "Normally I have such a strict diet, but I'd actually lost nearly a stone and a half just from not being able to eat properly because of my wisdom teeth [removal]."
© BBCOn what inspired her to sign up for the show, the personal trainer revealed that her "competitive mindset" draws her towards challenges, and is also the reason why she's training as a bodybuilder.
"I'll be competing in bodybuilding next year and so for the past year I've been preparing and really pushing myself. It's such a challenging sport and I love a challenge," she explained.
"I'm quite a competitive person. I love adrenaline rushes as well," said the Glasgow native, adding that she's also a fan of the show and has wanted to take part since she first watched it.
Speaking about what she found most challenging about taking part in the show, Rach said it was being away from her loved ones.
© BBC"I think the hardest thing for me was being away from home and having no contact with anyone," said the reality contestant. "I've lived away from home since I was 17, so that's quite a long time. But I still have access to my phone to give people a call and I normally see my boyfriend every day.
"I think going from having contact with all these people to nothing for eight weeks of my life, it's like, how am I supposed to get over that?"
MORE BBC: Shetland season 8: everything we know including plot, cast and release date
READ: Masterchef star Monica Galetti reveals reason for return following family health battle
© BBCOn how she coped with the lack of contact, Rach shared the advice her family gave her: "One thing that my family did say to me before going out was, 'If you look up to the sky when you're sad, just remember we're both looking at the same sky just at different places in the world.'"
Survivor continues on Sunday 29 October from 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
