Pro-boxer and semi-professional footballer among those billed for BBC’s Survivor

A pro-boxer and semi-professional footballer are among the contestants announced to take part in upcoming BBC reality series Survivor.

Irish boxer Lee and London-based footballer Hannah will compete to outwit, outplay and outlast 16 other rivals, who are all trying to be crowned the sole Survivor.

Hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, the new series sees 18 people from the UK marooned in a tropical location, as they are divided into two tribes and await a range of challenges testing their physical and mental abilities.

Hannah, 30, said that she binge-watched the series during lockdown which made her think that maybe she could be on the show.

She said: “I’m incredibly competitive and football has been a huge part of fuelling that fire.

“Competing at a semi-pro level has given me a taste for competition and the drive to succeed.

“I brought that same spirit to Survivor, ready to battle it out in every challenge.

Lee, 28, who is based in Belfast and originally from Limerick, Ireland, said that strength he has gained through boxing helped him to compete in the different challenges.

“Physically, I like to keep myself in good shape and I train often so I maintained that before the show,” he said.

“Because of boxing, I feel that mentally I have the strength you need to have in the challenges, to persevere and push yourself to your limits.”

Other contestants in the show include Ashleigh, 34, from London, who said her training had been impacted by coeliac disease.

The brand strategist said: “I actually had a gluten flare-up three weeks before the show started which massively impacted my training.

“I usually run three times a week and weight train or box twice a week, but I had to cut right back during my coeliac recovery so I was not at my peak fitness when I started.”

There is also singer Christopher, 36, from Bridgend, Wales, who said that he wanted to take himself out of his “comfort zone and face my fears”.

Flood risk consultant Doug, 32, from the Isle of Mull, Scotland, said he thought his height would come in handy for the show and added: “I was hopeful I could put my height, I’m 6ft 4in, to good use and help my tribe get to those hard-to-reach places, get the shelter up, and hopefully be a useful asset for the challenges.”

Elsewhere, Jess, 38, a model from London, said the experience of living on a beach was her “literal worst nightmare”, adding “I was so out of my comfort zone, but I did it.”

Another contestant, entrepreneur Laurence, 29, who was born in Vienna, Austria and raised in Costa Rica, said that he convinced a “terrifying Austrian Schwarzenegger-lookalike” to be his coach before the show and said he “nailed it by brutalising me daily with cruel and unusual forms of exercise”.

He also joked that he “achieved the impossible for a Brit – lasting more than a day without tea, coffee or a drink”.

Barista and yoga studio cleaner Leilani, 45, from Hertford, said she had not watched Survivor so “didn’t realise there was a psychological aspect to the game”.

She said: “I thought it was just about living right on the beach and competing in physical challenges, so I had no game plan whatsoever.”

Matthew, 21, from Cumbria, is the youngest contestant on the show and he said he thought the challenge would be a good way to spend his summer.

The hospitality worker said: “As the youngest player I knew people would underestimate me but I used that to my advantage.”

Fitness instructor and operations manager Nathan, 35, originally from London and living in Manchester, said he used “daily positive affirmations” to get him through the game.

Meanwhile the oldest contestant, surf school owner Pegleg, 54, from St Agnes, Cornwall, said he brought an attitude with him where he was “just getting on with it and not whining and moaning about the hardship of it all”.

Talking about his disability, he added: “Mentally I knew I had what it takes as a lifetime of overcoming preconceived ideas of disability has prepared me well.”

He went on: “As an older one-legged guy I had to prove I could hold my own.”

Competitor Rachel, 40, from Whitstable, Kent, has also been announced for the line-up and the insurance claims handler said: “My motivation was that I wanted my children to know that not having a dad around does not mean that one parent isn’t enough and to show them that anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it.”

Another contestant called Rach, 23, a personal trainer from Glasgow, said her body was fatigued when she went on the show as she had been dieting for 15 weeks to prepare for a photoshoot.

Elsewhere, finance risk manager Shai, 33, from London said that she “jumped” at the opportunity to be on the “best game ever”.

Ultramarathon runner, charity founder, author, mother of four and grandmother of three, Sabrina, 45, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, said she took to beach living “like a duck to water”.

Professional roller skater and adventurer Tinuke, 30, said she wanted to go on the show for her late parents and felt “ready to leave behind the troubles and grief” of her past.

The last contestants are Ren, 28, from London, a network data scientist who said he is “obsessed” with Survivor, and Richard, 36, from Dalkeith in Scotland who is a pension manager and RAF reservist who said he is “always looking for a new challenge”.

Competitors will be voted out of their tribes at the tribal council until the two teams eventually merge and competitors face each other head to head before the sole survivor wins a cash prize of £100,000.

Survivor will air on BBC One and iPlayer with transmission dates confirmed soon.