My friends text me quite a few times about all meeting up again. We can't on the dates suggested but my DH and me really don't want to go. DH says that one of us should really speak to her and tell we find him too much. It’s appalling, says Billingham, but he can see now how it happens: “People get into a dark space where they feel they can’t talk to anybody because they feel it’s a weakness. I hope that conversation is changing.” For Billingham, Bosnia was the most mentally gruelling conflict. With their role as observers, the British forces were unable to do anything but witness the unspeakable atrocities happening around them. Nothing particularly wrong with either of these scenarios, and the lie isn’t terrible– a conversation is just that; a conversation – but the latter would probably result in less probing questions from a partner, friend or colleague! 3.Using Passive Rather Than Active Voice

He has been shot at, stabbed and blown up. He’s also been held hostage, as well as successfully negotiating hostage situations. He has lost close friends and comrades while on covert operations all over the world, but some of the most dangerous days of Mark “Billy” Billingham’s life came after he left the SAS. He also doesn't get out of bed for less than a grand a day (despite begging drug dealers for bail every week).

More than just a forum...

There’s a duty to all of us as soldiers to keep in touch. You know when something is not right.” And remembering, he says: “The biggest element of bravery or courage is asking for help.” For the first time 4 weeks ago we met my best friends future DH. Me and her have been friends forever and when we see my friend she comes straight after work. A girl in my year at school always maintained that she was a relative of Julia Roberts, and also that she was impervious to the sting of a nettle. That loss of community and identity coincides with too much time for reflection. Smells, certain songs – it’s unpredictable what will trigger a memory of a traumatic event in your service past.

Twas a glorious moment. And we never believed her about the Julia Roberts connection after that either. I’m pretty sure that at some point in our lives we’ve all told our boss that we were late because of traffic or leaves on the line rather than admit the truth; that we slept in…and how many times have you told a friend or colleague that you like their outfit or haircut when in reality you weren’t that keen?….or acted elated over a gift you’ve received that deep down you know will make it to the charity shop before the week is out? Exactly.One who tells blatantly obvious and/or impudent untruths easily and with little or no attempt to disguise the lie. He also told me that all of this was true (after his affair came out). He told me that the name I knew him by wasn't even his real name, and that he'd asked his entire family to play along with the subterfuge for over a decade. The public platform he enjoys now has come at a cost, permanently severing all ties with his beloved SAS regiment. “I’ve paid a sacrifice for being in the public eye, because now I’m not allowed on the camp,” he explains, adding: “I don’t talk about anything that’s not in the public domain and I’m very proud of my career. I’ll always be an advocate for that life.” we all (me her, her DP and my DH) went to a comedy show and had to travel so we spent nearly all day in there company. Billingham’s own understanding of mental illness has undoubtedly changed. However, he admits to finding it difficult how easily terms like PTSD are used in the wider public: “It makes it harder for people who are really in need of help to ask for it,” he says. “We’ve labelled everything. The truth is we’re all going to be sad and depressed at times. Life has its peaks and troughs. When things aren’t going in your favour you don’t need to be seen to be suffering. But if you need help, reach out for it.”