TV hardman Ant Middleton abandoned Everest challenge at 17,000ft to go to luxury spa and pub

TV tough guy Ant Middleton has admitted cheating on his Everest challenge — leaving his film crew at 17,000ft while he went on a bender.

Ex-SBS sniper Ant, 39, conquered the world’s highest mountain after a gruelling four-week hike for Channel 4’s Extreme Everest.

But in his new book, The Fear Bubble, Ant reveals he took a boozy break in Nepal before the perilous last leg of the climb — flying to a luxury spa hotel by helicopter while his team-mates huddled in freezing tents at Everest’s Base Camp.

The chief instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins wrote: “For the first time in a month there were no cameras pointing at me, no schedule bearing down on me and no alpha-male politics to negotiate. Not only that, I’d booked myself into the best hotel in town.”

The Yeti Mountain Home had a fully appointed restaurant with king-size beds with electric blankets.” Ant paid £1,500 for a private helicopter to Namche Bazaar, a village 12,000ft closer to sea level.

He discovered a bar called The Irish Pub, where cocktails included Sex on the Mountain, Donkey P**s, and Sherpa Killer. He wrote: “Over the next few days I ended up basically living there. I’d stumble out smashed at 2am every night.”

“Then I’d wake up feeling dreadful, with the symptoms of my hangover concentrated dozens of times over by the effects of high altitude.”

After a 3am booze-up on the final night of his stay, Ant flew back to Base Camp where he had to hide the fact he reeked of booze.

He said: “I felt like rotting meat. I’d done the damage, now I had to live with the consequences.” There was no mention of dad-of-five Ant’s boozing on the TV show, which attracted 1.2million viewers when it aired in November 2018. And he did reach the summit.

But he nearly died coming back down after a fierce storm blew in, trapping him for three hours. He later told how he saw a Sherpa guide die in front of him.

He said: “Mother Nature — Mount Everest — bent me over, pulled my pants down, gave me a good hiding and said ‘on your way’.”

A mountaineering source said of Ant’s antics: “This is really frowned on in our world.”

“He might be making light of it but it wouldn’t have been funny if something disastrous had happened to his team while he was living it up in a hotel.”

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk