Coping in Lockdown

Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton is a former Special Forces operative whose missions included hostage rescue, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism and homeland security. His autobiography Break Point is a Sunday Times best-seller, and he’s best known for putting contestants through their paces on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Q: How have you been coping in lockdown?

A bit too easily! Anyone who’s been in the military will have coped more easily in lockdown, but I relate to what people are going through because when you leave the military, you lose the structure of your working week, and the framework of your everyday. You’re no longer connected to your support network of friends, and you’re left with a void. That’s exactly what people have been going through.

I actually put myself into isolation, in my own bootcamp, in 2015. I had no money and a lot of issues, so I could’ve gone, ‘Oh, my life’s terrible,’ and been a victim, but instead I went, ‘This is amazing! I’ve got the opportu...