Advertisement

Commando Steve: 'Transitioning from the army to real life is the hardest thing you can do'

We first met him as the tough, no-nonsense trainer barking orders on The Biggest Loser, but in the last couple of years, we’ve seen a whole different side to Steve “Commando” Willis open up.

RELATED: Kate Peck: ‘Modelling is like being dumped by your boyfriend, over and over.’
RELATED: Kayla Itsines ‘I still pinch myself when I read I’m the number one personal trainer in the world’

With his on-screen The Biggest Loser co-star turned off-screen baby mama Michelle Bridges by his side, the pair welcomed son Axel last December.

Steve and his partner Michelle welcomed their son last year. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges
Steve and his partner Michelle welcomed their son last year. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges

But Steve – who also has three other children with his ex-partner Froso - admits it wasn’t an easy switch from his days in the army to the easygoing TV star we know today.

After struggling to figure out where he fit in, he was introduced to the Crossfit training program, and his love of exercise took over.

From army to part of a glam TV couple, it's been a long journey for Steve. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges
From army to part of a glam TV couple, it's been a long journey for Steve. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges

“That transition is probably the hardest thing you can do,” he tells me. “The Crossfit side of things really helped me, and what that did was gave me something to attach to, a purpose and identity.”

“When you’re a part of the military for so long, you’re under that overarching mission and what it means to serve your country. When you step out from underneath that, who are you?” he adds. “You haven’t invested in who you are, all that time and energy has been invested in being a soldier, and what that means to be the cog in the wheel.”

Steve catapulted to fame after being cast as tough-talking Commando on 'The Biggest Loser'. Photo: Facebook/BiggestLoserAU
Steve catapulted to fame after being cast as tough-talking Commando on 'The Biggest Loser'. Photo: Facebook/BiggestLoserAU

From there, he was only a year out of the army when he fell into his role on The Biggest Loser.

“The character and the role I filled was naturally selected, so I was just that person at that point in time,” he explains. “Here’s the expectation, live up to the standard, or there’s the door.”

Steve's showed off a softer side to his personality with his relationship with Michelle. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges
Steve's showed off a softer side to his personality with his relationship with Michelle. Photo: Instagram/mishbridges

While Steve and Michelle have weathered their fair share of controversy stemming back from reports of an affair when they first got together, to comments about Michelle's health when she fell pregnant at the age of 44, Steve is excited to see all his kids grow up happy and healthy.

“It’s meant to be,” he says. “What comes our way, we cannot control that, but we have a choice of how we respond to it.”


Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram