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Tony Bellew says Celebrity SAS helped him tackle anger issues

Tony Bellew’s stint on ‘Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins’ has helped him to tackle his anger management issues.

The 37-year-old former boxing champ – who retired from the ring in 2018 – had always used "punching people" to manage his anger, but he was able to "breathe" and walk away amid his confrontation with Ant Middleton on the Channel 4 show.

Tony explained: "That was a clash of two lions. I was ready to just go for it. I really was.

"I’m someone who doesn’t shy away from confrontation, I meet it head-on. They understand I’m a loose cannon.

"They’re not scared, these guys have been shot at. But it’s different when no one’s got weapons.

"It’s down to you and your fists and what you can do. And they know what I can do. Thankfully, I took a breath and walked away."

Tony was warned by Ant that he could cause some serious damage if he didn’t learn to control his anger.

The former fighter wants to continue to manage his issues for the sake of his wife, Rachel Roberts, and their kids.

Tony shared: "Once he said to me, ‘You’re a ticking time bomb’. I was hellbent on showing him that I’m not.

"I’ve been fighting 20 years, I’ve always found a way to vent my frustration by punching people.

"But I’ve had to learn to cope in different ways since I retired. I’m not perfect, far from it.

"I’ve got a beautiful family but sometimes you want more.

"For someone like me, doesn’t matter what I’ve got or what I’ve done, it’s never enough.

"I’m one of very few people who can say I’ve achieved my life-long dreams. So it’s hard to then be completely done at 36. It’s hard to adapt."