Steve Willis (born 5 June 1976), also known as Commando Steve, is an Australian personal trainer, author and television personality. He appeared on the Australian version of ''

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser (American TV series), The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and Obesity, obese contestants attempting to lose ...

'' as a trainer from 2007 to 2015.

Early life

Willis was born in Brisbane, Queensland, but grew up in Redcliffe. He is the eldest of four brothers. Willis initially wanted to be a builder, but he joined the army in the 1990s. He started out in the

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, before being posted to the

4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) was an infantry battalion (later a special forces unit) of the Australian Army, forming part of the Royal Australian Regiment and eventually Special Operations Command. The battalion was form ...

as a fitness instructor (later 2nd Commando Regiment). Willis left the army in 2004 (the 4th Battalion converted to a special forces unit on 1 February 1997, and was renamed the 2nd Commando Regiment on 19 June 2009). While working as a labourer, he studied personal training and specialises in

CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

. Willis also competes in CrossFit Games. During a 2009 CrossFit competition, he came fourth out of 75 male competitors.

Television career

In 2007, Willis joined the cast of ''

'' as a trainer. Willis was known for wearing dark sunglasses,

camo CAMO, short for ''Club Aquatique de Montreal'' (), is a swim club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. CAMO operates in three areas: swimming, diving, and water polo however, CAMO has had the greatest success in ...

pants, and a black

sleeveless shirt A sleeveless shirt, is a shirt that is manufactured without sleeves or with sleeves that have been cut off. Depending on the style, they can be worn as undershirts, by athletes in sports such as track and field and triathlon, or as casual wear ...

. Rarely smiling on the show, his motto was "there are no excuses". Speaking to Nick Galvin of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', Willis said, "When it comes to the training and my ethos, Steve Willis and the screen persona 'The Commando' are the same person. I believe passionately in what I do". Willis chose to depart ''The Biggest Loser'' after the tenth season aired in 2015. In May 2018, Willis made his acting debut in television soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

'', with a guest appearance as an AFP trainer. Two months later, it was confirmed that Willis had joined the cast of '' Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders'', which began airing in August. Willis became the 18th person eliminated from the show, and the 5th jury member.

Personal life

Willis was in a relationship with fellow ''Biggest Loser'' trainer

Michelle Bridges Michelle Bridges (born 20 October 1970) is an Australian personal trainer, author and television personality. From 2007 to 2015, she was a trainer on the Australian version of ''The Biggest Loser (Australia TV series), The Biggest Loser'', makin ...

. Bridges gave birth to their first child, a son, in 2015. Willis has three more children from previous relationships.

Bibliography

*''Commando Steve: No Excuses!'' (2010) *''Get Commando Fit'' (2015) *''Get Commando Fit Cookbook'' (2015)

References

External links

*
Management profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Steve Living people 1976 births Australian exercise instructors Australian exercise and fitness writers Australian television personalities Writers from Brisbane Survivor (franchise) contestants Participants in Australian reality television series