The ex special forces man, who has spent the last seven years putting civilians and celebrities through their paces on Channel 4's hit military reality show, was forced to dig deep into that repertoire for a deeply personal rescue mission involving his daughter. I do believe that the best treatment for a soldier is another soldier,” says Billingham. “We know that often it’s about sharing a joke about something that happened, rather than giving someone more sympathy than they can handle.” New beginnings

Billy Billingham Books In Order - Books In Order - AddALL Billy Billingham Books In Order - Books In Order - AddALL

It felt like everything was imploding on me. I was stranded,” recalls the 57-year-old today. “It was a whole new world for me. I was scared to talk to people. I couldn’t tell them what I’d been doing for years. The Special Forces world is all cloak and dagger, no one knows who you are or what you are.”

Sleepyhead

Billingham would graduate from the Royal Marine cadets to enlisting with the Parachute Regiment in 1983, where he would serve with distinction as a Patrol Commander and expert sniper . In 1991 he applied to join the SAS – the fearsome and secretive elite special forces unit with a well-won reputation for excellence in operating in extreme and hazardous conditions. He excelled in this life, rising to the rank of sergeant major for the regiment, and undertaking dozens of classified and extremely dangerous missions. He spent seventeen years with the SAS, serving in countless war zones, winning a commendation for bravery and was awarded the MBE . After leaving the army, he embraced the life of a bodyguard to Hollywood stars such as Angelina Jolie , Brad Pitt , Sir Michael Caine , Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe , before being recruited as one of the lead instructors on SAS - Who Dares Wins for television. Mark Billingham is a seriously talented author and his books are completely addictive. I’ve loved him since Maid Marion, he’s a very funny, perceptive man and in my opinion, the best writer around for decades. Reply Although he admits he can be a horrible b******d when he needs to be he also genuinely enjoys helping people and comes across as a lover of people even bearing very little grudge against those who have wronged him accepting all of it in a fact of life kind of way with no bitterness. HE'S spent nearly 30 years on death-defying missions in the military, protecting endangered animals in Africa and minding the likes of Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie.

The Hard Way: Adapt, Survive and Win: Billingham, Mark The Hard Way: Adapt, Survive and Win: Billingham, Mark

As he explains, they were kept bound and engaged in their hotel room by a trio of masked men who stole credit cards and items from them. Billingham at some point recalls being terrified by the sheer audacity of the criminals who succeeded to instill a feeling of menace and fear into their victims. Having been a fan of the popular Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Win, quite a few of the DS', have penned their autobiographies. The second incredible thriller in the Matt Mason series: based in the high-octane, high-stakes world of the Special Forces. Billingham would graduate from the Royal Marine cadets to enlisting with the Parachute Regiment in 1983, where he would serve with distinction as a Patrol Commander and expert sniper. In 1991 he took on an even bigger challenge – taking on SAS selection – the fearsome and secretive elite special forces unit with a well-won reputation for excellence in operating in extreme and hazardous conditions.

Publication Order of Anthologies

Hugely enjoyed this book and finding out more about Mark Billingham. Finding out about what motivates individuals like to this to push beyond the normal and achieve amazing things in their lives is something both inspirational and motivational. Reading it you get a personal insight and glimpse in to the life he has lived and what he has experienced. Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Billy, 56, told how he feared for her safety when a luxury boat she was working on dropped off the radar and left her feeling very uncomfortable. I've enjoyed authenticating these scenarios. There's enough entertainment in the realism of it, so I've kept it as real as possible." It's all me," said Billy. "I've just made fiction of some of the stuff that I've done. So I can add authenticity to it all. It follows Call to Kill, which is more the military side of stuff. What happened after that is I went into the conservation world. Matt Mason is me, I'm just using those experiences. Sadly, this is often when mental health issues start. Stepping off what he calls “the crazy train” of SAS service, the dissipation of that high-octane lifestyle, run on adrenaline and fear, can leave service people with too much thinking time.