'We tried to smuggle contraband into Apocalypse'

A mechanic from Birmingham is one of 14 people who were left with no food or water in an abandoned American town as part of a reality series.

Apocalypse, which airs on Channel 4, sees two groups of strangers attempt to survive at a site usually used to train the military and compete for limited resources.

Louise Baker, 43, went into the challenge thinking her practical nature and DIY skills would have prepared her for the experience, but soon found out this was not the case.

"I don't just do mechanics, I do DIY, I've landscaped my garden, tiled my bathroom, I can turn my hand to pretty much anything I want to do and thought, this sounds fun. Let's give it a whirl," she told BBC Radio WM.

With nothing but the clothes on their backs, the contestants had to brave temperatures as low as -12C (10F) during the challenge and were split into two rival camps - Eastside and Westside.

As described by Channel 4, the two groups are "surrounded by the remnants of modern life", and they must "recycle, reuse and reinvent anything of use to improve their lives".

The single mother added: "For 28 days I got dropped off with seven of the strangers, and we just had to go and find our way.

"We had to find our own shelter, food, water; we had to ration. It was all different personalities as well, and these aren't all well-known influencers; most of them are just normal people.

"There is some shouting, some crying, some laughing - there's a little bit of everything, if I'm honest.

"We did try to smuggle some contraband in our trousers and our jackets, but before we went in, we got completely stripped down to make sure that we had nothing on us at all," admitted Baker.

As well as forcing the groups to learn new skills, the mechanic said the show helped her form lifelong friendships.

She said: "I've formed a really good alliance with Kiera, Kyra and Stevie. We've called ourselves The Girls.

"We've found a really good friendship bond, and I suppose we only know what we experienced in that place, so it makes our bond completely different from anything you've ever experienced."

Councillor Celia Hibbert, Wolverhampton's Reform UK group leader, also appeared on the show.

The local politician, who represents the Penn ward, said she grew up in rural Nigeria without consistent electricity or running water.

She said: "Firstly, I heard it was going to be challenging, and secondly, I heard it was going to be something extraordinary that I haven't done before. I like adventure, but I also like challenges, and I like being outside my comfort zone. This ticked all the boxes."

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