THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. ‘The SAS and all it stands for is exemplified in men such as Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham. They are the backbone of the British military and I for one am thankful he is on our side!’ –  Sir Ranulph Fiennes 'The most experienced Special Forces soldier in recent memory. The Hard Way is brutally brilliant.' – Tom Marcus , Number One bestselling author of Soldier Spy ‘Billy is inspirational and always humble. A giant of a man!’ – Bear Grylls Billy Billingham grew up tough. Leaving school at eleven, the threat of borstal hanging over his head, running with gangs in Birmingham, and almost being killed in a knife fight eventually led to Billy discovering the British armed forces at sixteen. It would be the making of him.   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.