EXCLUSIVE: Anna Heinrich on the emotional post-SAS reunion with daughter, Elle: “I was worried she wouldn’t recognise me”

Anna Heinrich initially didn’t want to sign up for the gruelling reality show that is SAS Australia.

The mum-of-one had given birth to her daughter, Elle, only 10 months prior and she was lacking in the self-belief and confidence that she could even take on the difficult two-week course. After chatting to her husband, Tim Robards, whom she met on the first season of The Bachelor nine years ago, Anna agreed to sign up for the show.

“I wanted to gain confidence in myself but also, I wanted to be able to put that onto my daughter, and be able to have these conversations about who she is and what she’s capable of when she’s old enough,” says the 35-year-old.

Impressing viewers at home as well as Ant Middleton and the SAS directorial staff, Anna is nailing the physical challenges and demands of the show.

Anna chats to Bounty Parents about her time on SAS (there really are no celebrity perks), on missing her daughter and the new energy-boosting wellness product she has just launched.

Congratulations on the launch of INTU Wellness. Tell us about your decision to launch a wellness business?

I was on a walk with my business partner and friend, Kristy, who has two kids. I was pregnant at the time and we were talking about the lack of sleep and how we were both taking magnesium. We were also talking about skincare and we thought how great would it be if there was a product that could help people with their sleep and to have great skin as well.

That’s when we started searching for a supplement that could do it all, but we couldn’t find it, so we created our own. We saw a gap in the market and we wanted to create a product that was a do-it-all, an over-achiever so we made Intu Wellness Sleep & Skin Renewal.

How did you cope with sleep deprivation during the newborn stage with Elle?

It was definitely hard and it was a shock to the system. Normally, in your everyday life, you’ve got so much going on around you that if you put sleep deprivation on top of everything then it’s mayhem. In the first three months after having Elle, I didn’t have to focus on anything else at the time. I was in the baby bubble and I could take one step at a time and not look too far ahead. I could also sleep during the day! It’s different now when she gets up in the night and I have a full day of work ahead of me.

What’s your advice to mums wanting to boost their energy?

First and foremost, focus your sleep. I also have a coffee in the morning so if you like coffee, try that but to be honest, it’s all about getting enough sleep. I try to go to bed about 10pm but my husband goes to bed at midnight.

Is Tim one of those people who doesn’t need much sleep?

No, he needs his sleep! We used to take turns getting up with Elle and letting the other sleep in but ever since SAS I’ve been getting up really early. Sometimes Tim sleeps until 8.30 or 9 and I’m like, ‘Can you please get up?’.

You’re killing it on SAS. Are you proud of yourself?

People ask me how I did it and I actually don’t even know. I went in there with as much preparation as possible. I had four weeks to train leading up to it and I focussed on specific training. There was an episode where there was a ladder under a helicopter, like monkey bars. I trained on monkey bars leading up to SAS and every third day I would do grip training.

My husband trained me and I think I did a really good job preparing as best I could in a short amount of time. I honestly thought I’d get through the first two or three days and I would’ve been really happy but as the days went on I thought I’m quite good and I can do these things and if have some self-belief, I could go well.

Did you watch past seasons? Were you inspired by Jana Pittman?

Yes, she was incredible. Being a mum and I think Jana had given birth six months before going in and Elle was only 10 months old when I went in. I knew she would have that athletic background and mentality whereas I was scared, thinking, can I even make it past the first couple of days not being an athlete? I watched all the seasons and some of the UK seasons. With my background as a lawyer I wanted to be really prepared. I listened to all of Ant Middleton’s podcasts. I tried to do my research, so I knew what to expect.

What was the post-show reunion with Elle like?

It was one of those moments I will never forget. She was so happy to see me. The little smile on her face was incredible! She was only 10 months at the time so I didn’t know if she would even recognise me. I was kinda worried but she recognised me and she was so happy. It was the longest time I’d been away from her and I really struggled with it. Every time anyone spoke to me about her I wanted to cry so I was like, ‘Can you just not speak about her?’ It sounds harsh but it was emotional, especially towards the end when things are getting to you more.

Tell us, are the living conditions really as brutal as they appear? Off-camera do you get a warm shower?

Absolutely not. Honestly, it’s way worse than what you see. On day one, we felt like we’d been there a week and we were all thinking, ‘How are we going to do this?’ Geoff Huegill is the worst snorer. One night I got up and went and sat in front of the bathrooms and I bawled my eyes out. I didn’t know what time it was but I was so exhausted and I couldn’t sleep. I got so emotional over it all.

There was some brutal injuries on the show, like Barry Hall’s rib injury. Did the show take its toll on your body?

As the days went on, I was getting weaker and weaker. We all had so many bruises from the first day and by the second week they had gone and we had new bruises and scratches. I was bruised head to toe, well actually except my face. Everybody else had scratches all over their face and even Ant said to me, ‘How did you not get any?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know’. But, I did have scratches all over my body but no serious injuries.

What’s the food situation? Off-camera were you given proper gourmet meals?

The food was exactly what you saw. We got three meals a day. Breakfast was always porridge. We had poached chicken and sausages, and it wasn’t delicious but we ate it because we were so hungry.

The girls are killing it this season. If you could choose some Aussie celebrities to go in next season, who would you pick?

There’s no one in particular, probably someone who you don’t expect to do well. I love watching the athletes but I think there’s an expectation that when you’re watching them they will do well. It’s nice to see people who aren’t ex-Olympians or athletes go far.