I dare you,

THE SAS: WHO DARES WINS STAR, 49, ON TRAINING IN ISOLATION AND RUNNING ON SKIS

RUNNING KEPT ME OUT OF TROUBLE AS A TEENAGER. I was good at it, but I went very wayward. I got into trouble with the police for shoplifting and stealing a shotgun. I had so much energy and it needed steering the right way. When I was 14, my mum realigned me with running and I represented my school and Burton-on-Trent Athletics Club in the 1500m and cross-country. Running gave my energy the direction it needed, and it gave me self-respect and a sense of fulfilment.

SPECIAL FORCES SELECTION is all about your cardiovascular ability. It starts with running up Pen y Fan, which is the largest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. You have to do 24km in four hours, with 35lb (16kg) of kit. You lose so many people on that first day because of the time constraints.

I WON A 10-MILE RACE RUNNING IN SKIS. It was my first time in Norway, for Arctic-warfare training with the Royal Marines, and there was a ski race every Saturday. It was my first week there and I couldn’t ski to save my life, but I knew I was a strong runner, so I put loads of wax on the skis to make them grip the snow, then ran all the way round. I beat everyone, including the instructors, running the whole 10-miler with skis on.

CLIMBING MONT BLANC MADE HILL RUNNING EASIER. I was doing the same run every week in Shropshire, and my mind would always focus on the hill – I’d try to use it as an excuse not to go out. But when I did that run after climbing Mont Blanc, I thought, ‘Where’s that hill gone?’ I realised I’d just climbed it – it wasn’t even a hill anymore; it had disappeared. That confirmed to me that we have to push beyond our limitations, because otherwise you focus negatively on things that aren’t really a problem.

I LOVE RUNNING IN THE WILD, ACROSS TRAILS AND TRACKS. I like the variation in scenery and terrain. For me, road running is mundane. The mountains in Chile are the most beautiful place I’ve ever run.

I RAN ON A TREADMILL FOR 14 DAYS IN ISOLATION. I’d flown into Sydney to film the Australian version of SAS: Who Dares Wins and I had to spend two weeks in a hotel room. I ran every day, looking over my balcony onto Sydney Harbour. I could see people running outside and I was so jealous.

I GET MY BEST IDEAS WHEN I’M RUNNING. It’s a real think tank for me. I like to run without distractions. I never listen to music or use any tech. I don’t time my run and I don’t try to get a personal best. I know when I’m working hard. I’ve done my fair share of competition and I don’t compete with myself anymore.

THE EUPHORIA I GET FROM RUNNING is better than any gym session. Fitness has always been my passion, but it’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve got back into running. For a while, it was all about the gym. I was focused on aesthetics and wanted to build muscle to look like the alpha male, but as I’ve matured, I’ve realised it’s all about how you feel, not how you look.

‘I love running in the wild, across trails and tracks’