Ant Middleton

I eat healthily as much as I can - meat, protein, carbs as well. I like my pasta; I like my rice. I like to have that sort of sustenance in me, because I'm always thinking of survival. ”

I want to see you use your brain. Get the job done efficiently. I want to see an intelligent operator at work. And apart from that, to stay on my good side, just do as you're told. ”

I had a tough childhood after my father died when I was five, and I had a very difficult stepfather. I want to give my children what I didn't have - a good role model. ”

I don't stick to a routine, because I like to mix things up, which stops training becoming boring and helps shock muscles into firing up. ”

I wanted people to know that I'm human, and I'm only successful because I've learned the hard way. I've been in so many dark places, but I got myself out. ”

In Afghanistan, getting shot at was a regular occurrence. I viewed survival as a numbers game. As point man, every time I entered a Taliban compound first, I played the odds in my head. ”

A lot of people want to go out there, help people, and save the world. Sadly, half the time they can't even help themselves. ”

I wanted a challenge, wanted to be self-sufficient, so I thought, 'Go and join the army,' at a young age, and I just happened to be good at what I done and went up the ladder and went up to the top. ”

When you're in the military, you teeter on the edge of that line of life and death. The reason you feel so alive when you come through is because you know you've cheated death - and that and the adrenaline rush is addictive, no question. ”

Dad was wiped from our lives. The day after he died, every photo of him disappeared from the house. It was as if he'd never existed. Me and my brothers weren't even allowed to go to his funeral. His death was made absolute. ”