Ant Middleton has explained in an exclusive chat with GB News exactly why he felt it was so important for him to head to Normandy and remember the fallen heroes on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
However, in doing so, the 43-year-old candidly shared his fears for the future of Britain and how we mark the occasion once the final surviving veterans sadly pass on.
The former Channel 4 star feels today's younger generations don't give enough respect to the sacrifices made, and took aim at the government for its failure to encourage new generations to understand the gravity of the momentous occasion.
"It's the 80th anniversary of D-Day! 80th anniversary. And I'm thinking it has just been forgotten about," Middleton admitted to GB News. "When I look at history, the UK and Britain, you talk about culture...
"Culture is built on the history of the country, it's built on the history of what's happened and the hardships that we go through.
"And the history of Britain is it's a Christian country, we've all come together to fight for a better cause. And we've sacrificed a lot to get to where we need to be and for the freedom of the country.
Ant Middleton served in the Armed Forces
CHALLENGE THE WILD
"So I just think it's a gift being forgotten about in a way that is disrespectful. For me to be here on the 80th anniversary is a privilege. It's an honour.
"And if I can expose the D-Day landings in history in a positive way of why we have our freedom today, then that's why I'm here."
When asked why he feels there's a "disrespect" towards remembering the fallen, Middleton replied: "When it comes to the history of D-Day, people are too entitled nowadays. Look in the UK, the UK has zero leadership.
"And when you have no leadership, you have no decision-making. And when you have no decision-making, you have confusion, and that's what the UK is at the moment, it's massively confused.
"It doesn't know what to say, it doesn't know how to act, and therefore it stays silent.
"It's the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings - this happened not long ago! And that's why we're free! That's why we have the freedom of speech that we have today. That's why we can walk along the beaches of Normandy."
Recalling the remarkable scenes he'd witnessed on Thursday, Middleton went on: "This morning, I was up at six o'clock and I was on Juno Beach, and I watched people walk from side to side on the beach and I thought to myself we have the liberty to walk side to side, for cyclists to go side to side where the troops went.
"So I looked at the beaches and thought, 'Wow, if I could take an image of where we are now, of us going side to side to where they were 80 years ago when they were going up and down the beaches to secure the beach... You can't tell me that all this BS, this nonsense that's going on about political correctness (and) gender affirmation or whatever it may be counts for anything because it doesn't.'
"What counts for something is that brave men and women fought on that day to liberate Europe. When they liberated Europe, they liberated Britain. And when they liberated Britain, they gave us the choice of freedom of speech.
"And that's why we can speak the way that we speak today and have the open opinions that we do have today so we can make the UK a better place."
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Ant Middleton used to star in Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins
CHANNEL 4
The current state of affairs is part of the reason Middleton decided to join up with the Armed Forces charity Walking with the Wounded to take part in a historic expedition from the UK to Normandy.
He explained: "When I look at the UK and I look at the leadership, it saddens me and I thought I've got the 80th anniversary to make a difference.
"The 100th anniversary will probably be forgotten, it saddens me to say that but it will probably be forgotten.
"So this is the last (moment in) history that hopefully I can make a difference as Ant Middleton as a former UK Special Forces operator that served in Afghanistan to say, 'Hold on a minute. Do not forget where you've come from. Do not forget who liberated you. And do not forget the sacrifice, pain and suffering that our forefathers gave for us'."
