Military wife takes on SAS Who Dares Wins to experience a snapshot of husband's career

Episode three of Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins focuses on a military wife hoping to unravel the mystery surrounding her husband’s career as a Royal Marine in order to rescue their struggling relationship. 

“The months preceding the course were the worst of my life. I love my husband but we were struggling." 

Speaking before she embarked on the brutal Special Forces selection course TV show, Hannah revealed she was prepared to face her demons in an effort to "mend the broken aspects" of her life.

She loves her husband and is proud of him and all he has accomplished but, while speaking to Directing Staff Jason Fox and Billy Billingham, reveals she does not always understand him. She said:

“I have no idea where he’s coming from sometimes. 

“I’ll always be there for him, in what role at the moment I don’t know.” 

Credit: Channel 4

Warning: Contains Swearing

She grew up on the patch in Aldershot because her dad was a Royal Engineer. After passing P-Company he joined 9 Parachute Squadron where he worked for most of his military career.

He was in the British Army for 20 years and is Hannah’s “absolute rock”.

She believes it was the military qualities of loyalty, integrity, resilience and bravery she saw in her dad that drew her towards her Royal Marine husband. He was in 40 Commando and served for nearly nine years. 

However, even though Hannah has spent her whole life immersed in the military world, she admits she has only scratched the surface of what it was like for her dad and husband to serve. She said: 

“I have only ever been a very sheltered bystander, watching events unfold from the sidelines. I've never been in the game. 

“This is why being a military wife is the toughest job - you're always there at the end for your other half but you often have no idea what they did to get back.” 

Hannah’s husband and father have not shared a lot of their armed forces experiences with her, leaving her with little understanding of how she can help them when they are struggling with their mental health. This is why she chose to take on the Channel 4 show. She said: 

“I would do anything for my family so I applied for the course in the hope that it would allow me to experience, albeit for a brief moment, a snapshot of his world.” 

Hannah is a lawyer and mother of two young children who feels as though most of her life is a juggling act. For her, the only option is perseverance and feeling in control.

This is tested on the show during a backwards dive challenge into freezing cold seawater in pitch-black darkness. Letting go of control and free-falling into the unknown terrifies her, ultimately causing her to fail the challenge. She said: 

“Falling is just a really terrifying thought.

“You’re completely out of control and I’m a person who really likes to be in control.” 

Happily Ever After 

Describing the show as “... without doubt the most awesome and horrendous experience of my life”, Hannah is, however, thankful to have taken part. The course gave her newfound respect and admiration for her Royal Marine veteran husband, saying: 

“His resilience and integrity are inspiring and I'm so very thankful I had this opportunity.” 

By attempting to understand his mindset and learn how she can be of comfort to him, they have both discovered their “happily ever after” with each other again. Hannah’s experience on SAS Who Dares Wins helped her realise that "happily ever afters don't happen by magic”.

Facing her fears, being honest with herself and committing to working hard means that, for Hannah and her husband, happiness is within reach again.