Ant Middleton opened up about working with his "good friend" Liam Payne who was "misunderstood".
The former Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star, 44, spoke exclusively to Daily Star before Liam's tragic death, ahead of his new book release which is titled Military Mindset.
When quizzed on his past TV career, he opened up about working with the One Direction member who tragically fell to his death last week after falling from a hotel balcony.
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Ant told us: "I loved doing my Straight Talking show, Liam Payne was a guest, where we tested celebrities one on one more on an extreme adventure level, pushing them on that side of things.
"Liam was a great guy, a very bright guy, you just have to imagine what he's been through with that childhood stardom, being in One Direction and how huge they were, then the high and the lows with that.
"He is another good friend of mine and a great guy. Maybe he is a little misunderstood but the media will portray you the way they want to, I have nothing but praise for that guy.
"I was with the celebs on that show for three or four days and I got to get in there and see what they are all about. Not in a super aggressive way, I never play with people's minds or emotions because that is a dangerous game to play but I always try to make them realise what they are capable of. Hopefully, I can do some more shows like that in the future."
Best-selling author Ant has now added another book to his roster and used his experience in the military to help readers apply his 52 lessons to their daily lives. The book is half military memoir and half go-to manual for personal development and self-improvement.
From techniques to help maintain focus and gain an edge on an opponent, to surviving hardship, understanding negative and positive action and the power of self-belief, learning from failure and lessons in how to train your mind and body for the challenges that life throws at us – Military Mindset will offer readers invaluable guidance delivered in the form of punchy, but easy-to-digest anecdotes drawn from Ant's own experience.
Ant commented: "I'm not reinventing the wheel, I'm just grabbing people's shoulders and putting them in the right direction. Once they're on their way, hopefully, they'll be able to break things down themselves and get on with things. It's taking out all the negativity and all the distractions that life throws at you and concentrating on the core of who you are."
Find more info about Ant's book here.
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