A friend once asked me what qualities were needed for SAS. I would say to be self-motivated and resilient; to be calm, yet have the ability to smile when it is grim; to be unflappable, be able to react fast and to have an ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ mentality.

The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is so often just simply that little word - extra.

I exercise about 40 minutes a day, and I'll run one day and do circuit training the next day. I live in an area where there are brilliant hills and mountains, so I get a good hill run with my dog. At home, I'll do the circuit training with old weights, along with pull-ups in the trees and that sort of stuff.

Once a job it has begun, do not stop until it's done. Whether it is big or small, do it well or not all.

A man's pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance.

I miss him still today: his long, whiskery eyebrows, his huge hands and hugs, his warmth, his prayers, his stories, but above all his shining example of how to live and how to die.

I learnt another valuable lesson that night: listen to the quiet voice inside. Intuition is the noise of the mind.