Simon Weston: Falklands veteran heads to Yorkshire this weekend

today, Simon Weston is a prominent motivational speaker, charity worker and doting grandfather.

He's also a successful businessman who runs his own security company and at the age of 54 is happy with his life.

But if he's comfortable now it hasn't always been the case for the former Welsh Guardsman who became a symbol of Britain's war in the Falklands and remains one of the most recognisable ex-soldiers alive today.

I say 'recognisable' because even now, more than 30 years after the Falklands conflict ended, he still bears the scars of the terrible injuries that almost claimed his life.

In the spring of 1982, Simon was a 20-year-old soldier. He was among 3,000 troops who travelled on the QE2, which had been requisitioned as a troop carrier, to South Georgia.

On June 9, he and other members of his regiment were on board the Sir Galahad in Bluff Cove nestled off the Falkland Islands when it was attacked by two Argentine planes.

The bombs turned the ship into a fireball killing 48 servicemen and leaving many more injured, including Simon. Somehow he managed to drag himself off the burning and buckled ship but in the process of doing so suffered 46 per cent burns to his body.

His war was over but the battle to recover had only just begun. He endured years of reconstructive surgery, including 70 major operations or surgical procedures. In 1983 he was filmed for a TV documentary, the first of what would be many, that followed his slow recovery and showed him learning how to cope with his disfiguring facial injuries and psychological scars.

His bravery and sense of humour in the face of all that he'd been through endeared him to the British people and he quickly became a household name as well as a symbol of this bloody conflict.

Had it not been for events on the fateful day he was injured his life would have taken a very different course. But although his injuries redefined who he was, he has refused to be defined by them.

Simon has reinvented himself many times over and his moving story has inspired countless people over the years. It's also the focus of his new stage show - My Life; My Story - which he's touring around the UK and which lands at Rotherham Civic Theatre tomorrow night.

It's a chance for Simon to talk about the many highs and lows that have beset him. 'It's about me and my life and it's told in a sincere, funny and frank way,' he says. 'Parts of this show I've never spoken about before and some parts I will always find difficult to revisit.'

Simon was born in Caerphilly in south Wales in 1961. As a teenager he got into a 'bit of trouble' with the police and it was his mother Pauline who, not for the last time, proved his salvation, dragging him down to the army recruitment office. He joined the Welsh Guards in 1978 and four years later found himself caught up in the Falklands War after Argentina invaded the islands.

The conflict lasted less than 80 days but the fighting was brutal on both sides and claimed the lives of 255 British service personnel. 'Some people have said it was just a little war but it was just as big and frightening as anything else. I would like somebody to tell me what the difference is between a big war and a little war.

'Any war is scary if you're caught up in the middle of it. It's a hundred yards to your left and a hundred yards to your right and everything in front of you. That's your war and it's big enough, believe me.'

He still remembers the fateful day his ship was attacked. Despite his dreadful injuries Simon remained conscious and describes the scene of carnage around him as 'horrific.'

It's a sight he will never forget but isn't one he likes to dwell on. 'I didn't get knocked out so I had to get myself off the ship because if I had to rely on someone else they might not have found me.'

Simon was just a couple of months shy of his 21st birthday and suddenly his life had been turned on its head. His body and face had been terribly burned and he subsequently spent a total of five years in and out of hospital, part of the long, slow and painful road to recovery.

It pushed him to the very brink of his endurance. 'I've no idea where it came from - the strength, determination and willpower. I didn't know I possessed them and if I'm being honest I wish I'd never discovered that I had these things. I wish it had never happened but it did and you can't change what's happened, it's how you deal with it that matters.' At times it hasn't been easy, but he's since returned to the Falklands to help face his demons which proved to be a cathartic experience.

His well publicised story was carried out in the public eye and he will always be associated with the Falklands War. In many ways his life falls into two parts - the person he was before he was injured and the one after - but although his injuries changed his life he doesn't consider himself a victim.

'It was one moment in a lifetime, a fleeting second. You can't change the past and I'm defined by what I've done since not by what happened to me,' he says.

As well as being the focus of a number of TV documentaries he's also written several books and given much of his time to charity work, which earned him an OBE in 1992. He remains passionate about supporting other injured veterans - he's a trustee of Care After Combat - and raising awareness of the issues facing ex-service personnel.

Simon's bravery struck a deep chord with British people that still resonates today and two years ago he was voted the nation's most heroic figure in a national poll, an accolade he finds a little bemusing. 'It's a lovely award to have bestowed on you, but I didn't expect it at all.'

His life has taken many unexpected turns and his role as a motivational speaker has brought him into contact with people from all walks of life. For many of them he's a living inspiration, something that he finds humbling.

'I try and tell people that there is light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark it might seem before the dawn and it's an honour and a privilege to be able to do that. I didn't set out to be an inspiration to anyone but inspiring others really helps me. I take great strength in that,' he says.

'If my life and my story has something to offer them that is so powerful for me. It's such a reward. I love talking to people, I get so much out of it. There is no greater feeling than helping others.'

Simon Weston is appearing at Rotherham Theatre tomorrow night as part of his My Life; My Story tour. For details call 01709 823 621. To find out more about Simon visit www.simonweston.com

A Life Reinvented

Simon Weston was born in Wales in 1961 and joined the Welsh Guards in 1978 at the age of 16.

He served in Berlin, Northern Ireland and Kenya before forming part of the Falklands Task Force in 1982.

Simon's ship, the Sir Galahad, was attacked in June and he suffered burns to 46 per cent of his body that required numerous major operations.

His story has been well publicised and was the subject of a series of TV documentaries including Simon's War and Simon's Peace.

He has written several books including his autobiography, Walking Tall, published in 1989.

Simon was awarded the OBE in 1992, and in 2014 he topped a poll to find the nation's most heroic figure.