BREAKING NEWS: Denise Richards Stays on Special Forces Despite Ruptured Breast Implants: ‘No Choice’ .giang

Warning: this story contains spoilers from the two-hour season 3 premiere of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Denise Richards was truly put to the test on this season of Special Forces.

Fans saw Richards, 53, withdraw from Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test after its Wednesday, Jan. 8 premiere, and she told Entertainment Weekly there were deep-rooted reasons for leaving.

According to the actress, the challenge where she jumped off a bridge left her with ruptured breast implants, and she said she had already been recovering from the repair of four previous hernias.

“I wanted to see a doctor, and I wanted to make sure that I was okay to continue with the weight and doing stuff,” she told EW, pointing out that the participants were carrying heavy packs of supplies at all times. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t damage the hernias. I knew the implants, and that was something I knew I could still continue [with]. I was too embarrassed to even say anything about those. But it was where I had my surgery before with my hernias that I wanted to make sure.”

Before leaving the competition show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum said she was dedicated to staying despite knowing she had underlying health issues. She even contemplated keeping them a secret.

“I wanted to be able to get out of it what I really, truly could,” she said. “And I was hesitant even sharing that. But I thought, I just have to be honest. Otherwise, why am I really here? I could stay in a hotel and order room service instead. So I really wanted to be honest.”

“I am actually very proud of myself,” Richards added. “I had the guts to jump off a bridge… I was so happy. Even though I couldn’t climb in that helicopter, I was very happy. I was able to at least grab on and hang from there. I never in a million years thought I could do that.”

In the moment on the bridge, however, Richards told the outlet that she realized she was at risk and her journey might be over.

“With that harness [on the bridge jump], because it’s around that area and then also over our chest, we thought that that was damaged too,” she explained. “But that’s all good. I had swelling in the area, but it went down and I didn’t need surgery again.”

While it all turned out to be okay, Richards said she still isn’t out of the clear entirely.

“I still have to have surgery with my implants,” she said. “I just haven’t had the downtime yet. I’m hoping to do it in a couple weeks. Either [replaced] or removed, whatever I decide to do. The ones that are there have to come out.”

Richards previously told PEOPLE that she faced pushback from her daughters for even agreeing to go on Special Forces because they thought it was too dangerous.

“My daughters were very upset,” she admitted in November. “They did not want me to do it. They were afraid I was going to get hurt or get killed, and they were actually really angry. It was the first time of all the times I’ve done different projects or traveled they were very upset with me.”

She added: “I thought, ‘This is the most challenging thing I’ll ever do, and why not do it?’ I was terrified, but once I made the commitment to do it, I was there.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.