Jordan Wylie MBE (born 16 October 1983) is a British adventurer, author, television personality and former soldier. He is best known for being one of the cast of Channel 4's Hunted and Celebrity Hunted television series. Wylie was appointed as the national ambassador for the Army Cadet Force in the United Kingdom in 2018. [1] [2]
Jordan Wylie was born in Blackpool, Lancashire. Wylie is from a family with a military background, his father was a Royal Marines Commando who served in the Falklands conflict of 1982 and both his grandfathers served in the Royal Artillery. Wylie completed all his academic studies whilst serving in the British Army. He studied Security and Risk Management and holds a Foundation Degree from the University of Leicester, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with Honours Degree from the University of Leicester and a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Maritime security from Coventry University. [3] [4] [5] [6]
After leaving secondary school, Wylie joined the British Army where he served with The King's Royal Hussars from 2001 to 2010. During his military service, he served with A squadron as an intelligence operator on operations in Iraq, B Squadron as a search team member in Northern Ireland, and HQ Squadron as a close reconnaissance trooper. Wylie represented the British Army (under 21's) and the Royal Armoured Corps at football and was awarded his regimental colours for excellence in sport. After leaving the military, Wylie worked as a private military contractor providing specialist security services to the international maritime and private super yacht sectors. Wylie was also licensed by the Security Industry Authority to provide Close Protection services to VIP’s and High Net Worth Individuals. [7] [8] [9]
Wylie's first book, Citadel describes his journey from a Blackpool council estate to becoming a soldier and working as a private military contractor dealing with 21st-century piracy of off the coast of Somalia. Citadel became a The Sunday Times bestseller (general paperbacks) on publication in November 2017. Wylie also wrote Running for my Life, which covers his running adventure through some of the world's most dangerous countries. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wylie and his daughter published a colouring book titled Around The World With Evie & Jordan for children to help raise funds for key workers in the UK. On 9 November 2021, Wylie published his latest book, titled The Power of the Paddle which covers his world record attempt to Standup Paddleboard (SUP) around mainland Great Britain to raise enough funds to build a school on the Horn of Africa. The Power of the Paddle debuted at number 8 in the Sunday Times UK chart and listed 1805 sales in its first week. [10] [11] [12]
Wylie has been one of the main on screen cast members on Channel 4's Hunted and Celebrity Hunted since 2017, appearing in seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and celebrity seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5. Wylie is a regular commentator on news programmes such as Sky News and ITV News and is known to be a close associate and friend of news breakfast show presenter Kay Burley who also starred on Celebrity Hunted in 2018. Wylie has appeared in several documentaries and television shows in the United Kingdom and the United States including Floating Armouries on Vice Media 2016, Running Dangerously on Forces TV 2018 and Blind date on Channel 5 2018. [13] [14] [15]
Wylie is a regular guest on British Forces Radio and previously held an ad-hoc regular slot on Love Andover in Hampshire where he once lived. Wylie is also the on-stage presenter of the annual Pride of Andover Awards. [16] [17] [18]
Wylie has been recognised for his adventure achievements around the world which include several official Guinness World Records and world firsts. In August 2014, Wylie and two of his former military colleagues climbed Mount Kilimanjaro completely barefoot as part of a charity expedition to summit the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world (19,342 feet). In October 2019, he became the first person to row solo across the notorious Bab El Mandeb Straits. Wylie also set a new world record with his fellow Army Cadets ambassador Sally Orange when they ran the deepest underground marathon in October 2020. Wylie was recognised by British Canoeing in 2020 for his unsuccessful world first circumnavigation attempt to Standup Paddleboard around Great Britain. Although Wylie's attempt was unsuccessful due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations in Scotland, Wylie set a new world record for the longest Standup Paddleboard journey on the ocean (149 days / 2733 km). The record was subsequently broken by Brendon Prince (GBR) the following year. In December 2021, Wylie completed the Antarctica Extreme Ice Marathon which formed part of his attempt to successfully run marathons in the 10 coldest places on the planet. On 03rd January 2023 Wylie became an official member of the 7 continents marathon club, the Club is unique and reserved for athletes who have run a marathon within the Antarctic Circle on the Antarctica continent, as well as on the other six continents. [19] [20] [21] [22]
Wylie is an ambassador, trustee and patron of various charities in the United Kingdom, including Epilepsy Action, Frontline Children, Horsepower Museum and The Abel Foundation. In May 2021 Wylie opened a new school in the Republic of Djibouti in partnership with the local government and supported by the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Wylie had spent 3 years personally fundraising to build the school in the As Eyla region. [23] [24] [25]
Wylie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to charity and education in the UK and overseas. [26]
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of Sandhurst, Berkshire, though its ceremonial entrance is in Camberley, Surrey, southwest of London. The academy's stated aim is to be "the national centre of excellence for leadership". All British Army officers, including late-entry officers who were previously Warrant Officers, as well as other men and women from overseas, are trained at the academy. Sandhurst is the British Army equivalent of the Britannia Royal Naval College and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated with the ICF after seven national federations were added at the 2008 ICF Congress in Rome.
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls is a British adventurer, writer, television presenter and businessman. He first drew attention after embarking on a number of adventures, and then became widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011). He is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US, such as Running Wild with Bear Grylls and The Island with Bear Grylls. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed as The Scout Association’s youngest-ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at age 35, a post he has held for a second term since 2015.
4th Light Brigade Combat Team, previously known as 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, and before that as 4th Mechanized Brigade and before that 4th Armoured Brigade is a brigade formation of the British Army, currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire as part of 1st Division. The brigade, now known as the 'Black Rats', was formed in 1939 and fought in the Second World War in the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa. The Black Rats were subsequently involved in the invasion of Sicily and fighting in Italy before taking part in the Battle of Normandy and the advance through Belgium, Holland and into Germany.
Laurence J. "Larry" Cain, is a Canadian sprint canoeist. He was the first Canadian canoeist since Frank Amyot to win an Olympic gold medal in canoeing.
David "Dave" Cornthwaite is an English adventurer, writer and filmmaker. He is best known for his Expedition1000 project, a plan to undertake 25 separate journeys of 1000 miles or more, each using a different form of non-motorised transport.
Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. Paddleboarding is usually performed in the open ocean, with the participant paddling and surfing unbroken swells to cross between islands or journey from one coastal area to another.
Passing out is the official graduation ceremony following the completion of a course by military or other uniformed service personnel at their respective training school, college, or military academy, largely in Commonwealth nations. Soldiers, sailors, or airmen take part in a passing out military parade upon completion of a basic training course. The military parade during the 'passing out' ceremony may also consist of military bands, and other displays of synchronisation discipline such as a flypast, which may also include acrobatics.
Shorncliffe Army Camp is a large military camp near Cheriton in Kent. Established in 1794, it later served as a staging post for troops destined for the Western Front during the First World War.
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Standup paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water, and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
Thomas Michael O'Shaughnessy Jr. is a member of the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame, a paddleboarder, surfer, adventurer, real estate agent and philanthropist. He is currently living in Ponce Inlet, Florida.
Joel Patrick Dommett is an English actor, author, comedian, and television presenter. He is known for his television roles in Live in Chelsea, Impractical Jokers UK, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,Joel & Nish vs The World and from 2020 onwards has been the host of The Masked Singer UK.
Maria Leijerstam is a British polar adventurer. In 2013 she became the first person to cycle to the South Pole from the edge of the continent. Leijerstam started her expedition on the Ross Ice Shelf at the edge of the Antarctic continent, and cycled for 10 to 17 hours each day with no rest days, and the total distance cycled was 638 km (396 mi). Leijerstam's cycle was a three wheeled design, and she reached the pole faster than any previous skiing expedition.
John Luther Mercer is a British politician and former British Army officer who has served as Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs since October 2022, having previously held the post from July to September 2022. He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans from July 2019 to April 2021. Mercer has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Moor View since 2015. He is a member of the Conservative Party.
Chris Bertish is a South African surfer, stand-up paddleboarder, adventurer, and motivational speaker. In 2004 he gained recognition as the owner of 'Best Cribbar Barrel Vision Ever' after he pulled into a giant closeout at the infamous big wave spot in Cornwall. He won the Mavericks Big Wave Surf contest in 2009. In March 2017 he completed the first solo, unsupported stand-up paddle board (SUP) crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He did it while supporting charitable organizations. He has also set other SUP world records. His efforts moved an obscure sport onto the forefront of many important media outlets.
Anthony Middleton is a British adventurer, writer, television personality and former UK Special Forces soldier, Royal Marines Commando, and Royal Engineer in the British Army. He is best known as the former Chief Instructor on the Channel 4 television series SAS: Who Dares Wins, a role he held from 2015 until 2021. Middleton also appeared as the Captain in the adventure/reality-show Mutiny and the survival show Escape. In 2018, he climbed Mount Everest for the TV show Extreme Everest with Ant Middleton.
Rob Bell is a British TV presenter, adventurer, engineer and STEMnet ambassador. He has appeared on TV programmes on BBC, Channel 5, Travel Channel and Yesterday.
Michele Lenore Frazier Baldwin, also known as Lady Ganga, was an American who set a world record in standup paddleboarding by paddling 700 miles (1,100 km) down the Ganges in India after being diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer in 2011. Her goal was to raise money and awareness for cervical cancer, human papillomavirus infection, and the HPV vaccine.
Connor Baxter is an American standup paddleboarder. Between 2015 and 2022, he was the recipient of one gold medal, five silver medals, and two bronze medals in the long distance, technical, and sprint races at the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship. At the ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships, he has won two silver medals and one gold medal (2022) in the technical race, and a further two gold medals and one silver (2021) in the sprint race. At the 2019 Pan American Games, he won a gold medal in standup paddleboarding race. At the 2022 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, he won a gold medal in the sprint race. He has also served as a brand ambassador for the sportswear brand Dakine.
 | This article needs additional or more specific categories .(December 2021) |
