John was born and brought up in Zambia and educated in Edinburgh. After leaving school he joined the Royal Marines. He then served operationally with 45 Commando Group in Norway, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Kurdistan.

John has been a police officer for seventeen years, a firearms officer for fifteen years and is currently a sergeant in the Specialist Response Unit.

John enjoys many sports, including wind-surfing, freefall parachuting and endurance racing. He is a keen hill walker and has been on expeditions in Alaska, Venezuela, Kenya and Australia.

Like many people, some of John's close friends have been affected by cancer. John has been involved in fundraising for cancer research in a variety of events, such as Tough Guy, Seventy Wild Miles, The Rat Race and Hi-Tec Challenge.

Click to see photos of John training in the Pentland hills