Commando Steve shows softer side on Survivor

THE Commando, who is back on the nation’s screens in Australian Survivor, is coming to Rouse Hill for a training session this weekend.

Steve 'Commando' Willis. Picture: Tim Hunter

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THE Commando is coming to Rouse Hill — but insists locals have nothing to fear.

Steve Willis, who became a household name during his stint as a hardline trainer on Ten’s The Biggest Loser, promises a fun workout session this weekend as part of the Rouse Hill Town Centre’s Be You, Be Well - Healthy Living Festival.

“I know it can be quite daunting, some people have watched me on television and think, ‘Oh I’m going to be punished’ but really I want people to only go as hard as they’re willing to go in that moment,” he said.

The centre’s second annual wellbeing festival will have music, pop-up stalls, workshops and children’s activities, along with Willis’ session, which he hopes will give participants tips they can use in their own workouts.

After leaving the army in 2004, Willis became a personal trainer and made his first television appearance on The Biggest Loser.

Steve Commando Willis trains on the beach at Byron Bay. Picture: Elise Derwin

He is back on the nation’s screens in the latest season of Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders, showcasing a totally different, and much softer, side.

With his background in fitness and the army, many viewers would have thought Willis would dominate the challenges in Survivor. But the 41-year-old preferred to stay in the background.

“I definitely played more strategically and a lot of that came down to not wanting to showboat,” he said. “And I knew there’d be other competitors who could dominate and have physical prowess.”

Steve 'Commando' Willis and Michelle Bridges pose on the Slime Machine ahead of the Nickelodeon Slimefest 2014 matinee show at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Picture: Don Arnold/Getty Images for Nickelodeon Australia

Willis said he channelled a “grey person” — an army term for a person who is “kind of on the periphery, people forget you’re there”.

“For me, Survivor was an opportunity for me to show I’m a human just like anybody else and I deal with the same issues,” he said.

“And it’s how we deal with those crisis and the pressure cooker type scenarios, and for me it’s about doing things with as much grace and compassion as possible.”

Tickets to Willis’ training session at 9.30am cost $35 and can be bought at rhtc.com.au