Labour MP Dan Jarvis to release book about Army service and wife's death

Mr Jarvis, who is Labour MP for Barnsley Central and also Sheffield City Region Mayor, is due to release the book, called Long Way Home, on March 5.

Published by Little, Brown the book does not look at politics but instead service and family, specifically Mr Jarvis' time serving in the elite Parachute Regiment, and the tragic death of his wife Caroline to cancer in 2010.

Mr Jarvis said: "This is not a book about politics. This is a book about service and family, my story of coping with the challenge of tragedy, grief and war. It’s about making decisions when under extreme pressure, keeping calm, keeping going and keeping a smile on your face - well, most of the time, anyway."

Although soldiering provides the backdrop to some of the book, Mr Jarvis said it is really about is love, life and death – and all the stuff that goes in between.

It is about the two biggest challenges he faced and the way he tried to cope with them – taking on the Taliban in Afghanistan and losing his wife to cancer at a tragically young age.

He said: "For a long time, I didn’t feel I could talk about what I’d been through, indeed some of it proved incredibly painful for me to write, but I hope it will be compelling to read."

Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Dan Jarvis' story is a belter. It's about love, loss, courage and determination told with his customary modesty which fails to disguise the amazing man behind the story."

While Literary Agent Kate Barker said: "Dan Jarvis served in the army in an exceptionally dangerous period, and his book gives a fascinating and gripping insight into military life. It’s also a heartbreaking grief memoir as Dan’s first wife Caroline died of cancer tragically young.

"How he and his children coped with bereavement is inspiring and deeply moving. I know Little, Brown will publish the book brilliantly and am very excited for others to read it."