Ant Middleton has taken a swipe at SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The first episode of the new series of the hit reality show, which was filmed before the 40-year-old's falling out with Channel 4 over his 'personal conduct', aired last night (9 May).
In a post to his Instagram account, Middleton shared his reaction, telling his followers that he wasn't a 'yes man' and never would be.
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He wrote: "Now you can see exactly what I've been fighting against the past couple of years! I will always fight for authenticity and against any political agenda forced into my work!
"I will continue to fight it with a readied sword whilst never being afraid to lead the charge!
"Unfortunately I fought this battle alone and you can clearly see now that I was pushed before I jumped... I am not and never will be a YES man so if you want real, then you know where to come!
"Huge respect and gratitude to @channel7 here in Australia for giving me back control of my show and making @sasaustralia BY FAR the toughest and most authentic show on the planet!
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"So proud to be part of the family."
Earlier this year, Channel 4 announced that Middleton would be stepping down from his role on the show.
A spokesperson told LADbible at the time: "Ant Middleton will not be taking part in future series of SAS: Who Dares Wins.
"Following a number of discussions Channel 4 and Minnow Films have had with him in relation to his personal conduct it has become clear that our views and values are not aligned and we will not be working with him again."
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Middleton came under fire in June 2020 when he labelled Black Lives Matters protestors 'scum', having tweeted: "The extreme left against the extreme right. When did two wrongs make a right. It was only a matter of time. BLM and EDL are not welcome on our streets, absolute scum. What a great example you are to your future generation. Bravo."
Prior to this, in March of that year, he was heavily criticised for encouraging his followers to flout coronavirus restrictions, although following the backlash, he appeared to reconsider his position.
Addressing the situation on his social media channels, Middleton appeared then to suggest it was actually his decision to leave the show.
He said: "After 5 incredible years I've decided it's time to move on from SAS: Who Dares Wins UK.
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"Big respect to my fellow DS - it's been a journey I'll never forget. Thanks to everyone that took part and made the show what it is. Really excited about the future and what's coming this year."
All of this, however, went on to confuse viewers of last night's episode when they saw that Middleton was in it.
Writing on Twitter, one perplexed viewer said: "I thought Ant Middleton had quit the SAS show? How come he's on the new series that started last night."
Another asked: "Thought ant middleton stopped doing sas who dares wins?"
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This was because Middleton did, in fact, start season six as the Chief Instructor along with his team of Directing Staff (DS): Foxy and Billy.
The team, however, has since been joined by a new DS called Melvyn Downes, 56, who served 24 years in the British Military and 11 years in the SAS.
Featured Image Credit: Channel 4Topics: Instagram, Entertainment, SAS: Who Dares Wins, UK Entertainment, Channel 4