A firefighter who took part in a TV competition where contestants are trained by battle-hardened veterans from the world’s toughest special forces says he was pushed to his absolute limit.

Dean Pounder, who lives in Kensington and works from Wembley fire station, appeared in the first episode of Special Forces Ultimate Hell week on BBC earlier this month.

Unfortunately for the 39-year-old, he failed to make it past the first week but, the dad-of-two says he learned a lot about himself during the 48-hour process.

The show aims to recreate the training involved in becoming a special forces operative from various countries around the world.

In the first week, recruits faced the US Navy Seals, and Dean said: “I have had no military training at all, and it was pretty much Armageddon out there.

“You have to deal with sleep deprivation, I went 28 hours without food and water was very limit, we had to do push ups and sit ups and other military-type drills - it was on of the toughest challenges I have faced.”

“At one point we went to bed at 11pm and we were told we’d be woken at 8am, but two hours later it was like Armageddon outside, there was explosions and gun fire.

“I was thinking: 'God knows why I signed up for this'.”

Wembley firefighter Dean Pounder

However, despite the disappointment of not making it further in the show, Dean, who lives in Blagrove Road and also works part-time as a physical trainer and competes in body building competition, says he took a lot from the experience.

He said: “I learned that I could pretty much push myself through barriers I never thought I could before.

“We were on the beach, in the sea, in full army gear doing push ups and sit ups while the water is all over you.

“It was freezing and I don’t like the cold but I did it and it showed when push comes to shove I can push myself through the pain barriers.”

On Sunday night's show (September 27), the penultimate in the series, six recruits were selected to go through to the final - to face Great Britain's SAS.