Denise Richards Says ‘Special Forces’ Co-Star Cam Newton ‘Saved Me’ (Exclusive)

Denise Richards and Cam Newton talked to “Extra’s” Melvin Robert about answering the call to take on grueling military training on Season 3 of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” 

Denise revealed that she initially turned down the opportunity. She explained, “I said, ‘No, I'm not doing this…’ They kept calling… They said it's more mental than physical. They lied! No, I was scared, too, because I did hear that there were some athletes.”

She went on, “I was very nervous about that even though it's not competing against anyone else, but I just was intimidated with being with a lot of athletes on the show.”

Richards also gushed that Cam was an amazing help during the experience, explaining, “Cam saved me on this show. I'm not joking. He helped me so much, even holding my backpack. He and Golden [Tate] were so great with us girls helping us because we have to wear the same thing and there's a difference in size and weight and stuff."

Cam pointed out, “The bag weighed the same.” Denise went on, “I felt like a weak link, but these guys... they helped us.” She emphasized, "Really, truly, I wouldn't have been able to get through my time there if it weren't for him. That's the truth."

Newton reacted to his fellow recruits calling him a teddy bear, asking, “They said that? This experience was something that really got everybody outside of their shell.”

He built close friendships, too, saying, “Day after day after day, you're building real relationships with people,” adding that seeing his friends outside the show, “It's like — oh, my God — it's like we have a bond for life.”

Newton shared that the toughest part was “you could quit at any time. It was like, ‘Do I really want to do this?’”

He said each morning, members of the group would help motivate each other, and that helped him keep going. “Somebody would say something to me to remind me the importance of camaraderie, the importance of relationships, the importance of knowing how to get each other going,” Cam said.