COLCHESTER’S Paralympic hero Jonathan Broom-Edwards MBE has been fighting that little bit harder throughout his entire life.

Having been born with congenital talipes equinovarus in his left foot, the 34-year-old high jumper’s calf muscles have gradually weakened.

He also has a restricted range of motion in his ankle, issues with his right foot, a weak right knee, and a muscular imbalance throughout his entire body.

Testament to his strength of mind, driven character and desire to never be held back by his disability, the athlete has reached the pinnacle of sporting success.

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and the 2019 Dubai World Championships he won gold, and he also scooped one of his many silver medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Given his sporting background, Jonathan will always harness an unwavering competitive edge and a never-give-in mentality.

But when he agreed to star in Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, even he knew he would have to mentally venture into territory he had never been before.

So much so, in preparation for the body-breaking challenges he would face on the series, he voluntarily opted to put himself through an intense training routine.

With a view of mimicking interrogation techniques, he also endured hours without sleep while listening to recordings of babies screaming and horrible noises.

“I had about four weeks to get myself ready for the show, so I took the mindset I have for training for high jump in terms of how strict I am,” said Jonathan.

“I was fully aware I had no endurance background and that filled me with immense, but that drove me to push my limits.

“It was a full-on change of mindset to actually aim for pain and go beyond what my perceived limits were – I had to push through what I thought I could do.”

Following his excruciating training period, Jonathan flew out to Jordan alongside famous faces such as actress Maisie Smith, Pete Wicks from the reality show TOWIE, TV personality Amber Gill and athlete Dwayne Chambers.

Over the course of filming for the show, the rookie recruits were pushed to breaking point to see whether they could cut it in the Special Air Service.

In one the episodes, for example, Jonathan had to go into a room filled with CS gas without a mask on, which was “the most intense feeling of panic” he has experienced.

Later in the show, Jonathan, whose condition impacts his ability to use his feet and causes a muscular imbalance throughout his body, had to fight Dwain Chambers.

The motivational speaker, who drew on memories of his athletic victories during the hardest moments, believes the experience has improved his competitiveness.

He said: “You don’t know how strong you are until strong is all you have got left, it is about surviving and those are the moments which define you.

“I can endure so much more now than I previously thought. As sadistic as it sounds, during every training session now I am searching for it to hurt more.

“It has definitely made me able to work harder and be more productive and I have become busier and more driven.

“I am now looking forward to taking that into my next two years of training as I build up to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

“I believe I still have another personal best in me - I feel I have more in me to give, as a result of being on the show.”

As the only disabled recruit on this year’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, Jonathan now hopes his participation will inspire others to overcome adversity like he has.

He added: “Going on the show taught me we all have some form of struggle we are battling in life, even if that is not a visible impairment.

“I hope I can inspire those without visible impairments to push their own limits because if we encourage people to power through then we can liberate each other.”