A Channel 4 star has revealed being turned away from the job centre with just pennies to his name ultimately did him a favour.
Former Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has opened up about the tougher parts of his journey in his new book Military Mindset. When speaking about when he left the Marines and found himself jobless at 21, he tried his luck at the job centre.
Talking about this exclusively to Daily Star, Ant, now 44, said: "That was a chapter when I left the army originally to join the Marines. I just thought whilst I'm waiting for this gap period, I should go out and get a job. But I couldn't get anything. I think I started collecting glasses or something silly but I thought let me get a proper job.
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"I remember going to the Job Center, and I had £1.37 in my pocket walking in there, and they were like, 'Listen, go back into that military space'. I like to think they saw my potential and that it would be wasted with what they were going to offer me.
"I remember walking into that job centre with nothing, not a job, £1.37 in my pocket, and thinking to myself, 'How have I got here?' But that was a turning point in my life because that was the first moment I was brutally honest with myself.
"It just made me realise the importance of integrity and the accountability of trying to be the best version of yourself. Ultimately, that's always what we revert to, becoming the best version of who we are in this moment."
He continued: "Those are life-changing moments and I always remember those moments in a positive light. Then if they ever come up again, which they always do, I always place myself back on those steps and it humbles me enough to go 'This is what you need to do'. When you're honest with yourself, you know the problem is right there. It's a great strategy that I talk about in the book."
When asked if he thinks being sent away from the job centre did him a favour, Ant answered: "Exactly that. I like to think they were like, 'What are you doing here?' They read my resume and said 'We could give you a job, but go back into that space'. Go back in and re-attack that career. And I've done exactly that."
Find more info about Ant's book here.
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