Ten years ago, Adam King was starting a five-year jail sentence for dealing drugs.
But the SAS: Who Dares Wins recruit turned to acting after his release – and now rubs shoulders with soap stars and Hollywood A-listers, even appearing as Vin Diesel’s body-double in 2020 hit Bloodshot.
Adam also shared the screen with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and, a little ironically, with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in sci-fi series Electric Dreams.
And he says former Friends actor David Schwimmer is “the funniest man ever” after appearing with him in Sky One’s Intelligence.
But he also raised a few smiles himself – as a cop on EastEnders.
Adam, 34, and now living in Kent, served two-and-a-half years in HMP Cardiff after a kilo of cocaine was found at his home in the city.
He said: “All my friends who are still in jail were watching and found it funny I was playing CID.”
Adam, who also models part-time and works as a warehouse supervisor, came off probation in 2016.
He says his biggest motivation for turning his life around has been daughter Remmi-Rae, three.
Adam said: “I want to be a good role model. Hopefully, I can do something to make her proud.”
In tonight’s show, set in Scotland, recruits are seen fighting to breathe in a simulated chemical attack.
It brought back memories of being tear-gassed as a teenager by police.
Adam said: “This was worse. It was brutal. To be fair, it’s the SAS.”
Adam has been quite open about his shame over his criminal past.
He started selling drugs in his hometown of Cardiff when he was just 16.
And within a few years he became a career criminal.
It landed him a five-year prison sentence at the age of 24.
In a candid interview he said: “Around 16, 17, I started getting involved with dealing weed and doing some drug drop-offs with the older boys.
“And then I started climbing up the ladder basically. Then I started getting bigger bits and making links all over the country.
“I was supposed to be stopping. I was trying to get out of it. But then I got greedy and made one move that I shouldn’t have really made and my world came tumbling down.”
After being caught by police, Adam was convicted of intent to supply drugs.
He said: “It was for a cocaine charge. My first night in prison, I just felt ashamed. I felt like, ‘F***, I’ve f***ed it all up’.
“I got five years but you do just under three years.”
A decade on from his conviction, Adam says he regrets his crimes and feels remorse. And he is now determined to stay away from drugs for the sake of his daughter.
The warehouse supervisor, who moved to Kent for a fresh start, said: “I think I’ve learned from the mistakes I made.
“Now I have my daughter I’d never think about going back into the game again.
“I’d love to be a hero to my daughter and show her that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. You can do anything.”
■ SAS: Who Dares Wins, Sunday, 9pm, Channel 4
