Spencer Matthews' Project 7: Confronting Trauma for Self-Redefinition

Key Quotes

"though unusual circumstances surrounding my brother michael and his death we certainly felt that his death could have absolutely been avoided and so i carried a lot of hatred towards people marrying an amazing woman uh who i want to be better for has been very helpful but i could just see the relationship slipping if i didn't make an actual change"

Spencer Matthews reflects on the circumstances of his brother Michael's death, suggesting it was avoidable and led to feelings of hatred. He connects this to his motivation for personal change, driven by his desire to be a better partner for his wife.

"for me to be able to express myself in this way it is is really uh meaningful to me it feels like real progress you know it's um a big difference to where i feel i've lived before -- and yeah i'm just really proud of of the team and what we did i feel and it's not so much for me to say but just i feel that we have done a really good job you know that we did something special that we've made hopefully a bit of a difference"

Spencer Matthews expresses that being able to express himself is a significant sign of progress and personal growth. He feels a sense of pride in his team and believes their collective effort on Project 7 achieved something special and impactful.

"cape town it was the first time that the challenge felt very dangerous and that it could come to an end shock city isn't it heart thumping hyperventilating lost sense of my arms and legs i was just thinking about my kids what a stupid way to die but you know i've been incredibly lucky to have people that i admire in my own family especially my brothers michael and james"

During the Cape Town leg of his challenge, Spencer Matthews describes a moment of intense fear and near-panic, feeling the danger of the situation and contemplating his mortality. He contrasts this with his gratitude for the admirable people, particularly his brothers, in his family.

"i i shed a tear then johnny saw me wait wait there's a witness you're just you're literally just skimming over this i want details so you were running you were halfway through and you thought i am going to make it yeah what did it where did it start the feeling i had a like i had an old nickelback song playing really loudly and it was quite a kind of old like rock and roll not like yeah just just but like a really cool kind of love song you know the one that i and i my music choice is really lame like i i'm super no that's good super commercial kind of like i'm not i'm not cool when it comes to music at all but this song just really got me and i kind of started blubbering"

Spencer Matthews recounts shedding a tear during the marathon portion of the challenge, triggered by a Nickelback song, which he describes as a "really cool kind of love song." He emphasizes that he does not suppress these emotional responses, finding them to be a welcome release.

"i think the difference is -- responsibility and you know all of the good work that you do yes i think you know me going out and destroying myself for days on end is gonna is gonna get in the way of my business it's gonna get in the way of my career it's gonna get in the way of my marriage it's gonna you know it's not a good example for my children"

Spencer Matthews explains that for individuals with an addictive nature, the key difference in managing alcohol consumption is responsibility. He states that his own destructive behavior would negatively impact his business, career, marriage, and serve as a poor example for his children.

"james's place is without question an incredible charity they save lives in real time they have a near 100 success rate for saving a man in suicidal crisis if they come through the doors it's i couldn't believe it when i was sat with them and they were telling me you know the stats about suicide in this country"

Spencer Matthews highlights James's Place as an exceptional charity that actively saves lives by intervening with men in suicidal crisis, boasting a near 100% success rate. He expresses his astonishment at the statistics he learned about suicide rates in the country.