SIMON Weston's life will always be defined by a tragic event but he has never let it rule him.

The Falklands War soldier suffered horrific burns to his face and body when his ship was bombed by two Argentine planes in 1982.

He was unrecognisable – even to his mother – and had to endure years of reconstructive surgery, including more than 70 operations.

But more than three decades on, Simon's bravery continues to be an inspiration.

The 53-year-old was awarded the OBE in 1992, he was officially declared a hero in a 2014 Freuds public poll and he has helped support numerous people living with disfigurements over the years through his charity work.

"It was a life changing event but it was not something that was going to rule my life," Simon told Weekend.

"It doesn’t haunt me at all. It happened 33 years ago and I live in the now.

"I can’t change a moment of yesterday so I only bring the lessons I learned about what happened to the present. I can’t carry the baggage of life with me.

"I’ve been very positive about it and seen it as an opportunity to benefit myself and others. I’m just very fortunate that I’ve been able to use it to help other people."

Now Simon will be talking about how his life changed forever on stage for the first time at the Pyramid on Sunday, September 6.

He will be interviewed by former Sky news anchor David Fitzgerald and will share his whole story.

From family life and his decision to join the Welsh Guards after he 'got into bother' with the police as a teenager to the Falklands War and his newfound life as a media personality, it will all be covered.

Simon said: "It will touch on some of the dark moments because it is part of the rollercoaster of life.

"But there is more humour in the show than there is anything in way of tragedy and sadness.

"Without humour you don’t get through anything. Lots of people have tragedy and loss and sadness in their life and it doesn’t matter when it happens – it’s always premature, it’s never the right time.

"And people only get through it with humour and with the support of others. We all need to know somebody cares. We all go through it and it is just about how we come through the other end."

The Falklands War started on April 2, 1982, when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south Atlantic.

Among those sent to the conflict was Simon who was aboard the RFA Sir Galahad when it was bombed on June 9, 1982.

Eventually, and against the odds, Simon escaped the burning ship but only after suffering 46 per cent burns to his body.

"It's become slightly blurred because I don't want it to be fresh," he added.

"Because if it stays fresh then I get injured every day. I like who I am and I like my life and it’s only blighted by looking back at things like that.

"I’d rather it be a dim and distant memory. Unfortunately it’s never going to be that because of things that happened while I was in the explosion.

"But that’s the way it is and they’re my very deepest, private moments I won’t share with anybody because of how horrible it was."

One of Simon's hardest moments was when his mum did not recognise him at the transit hospital at RAF Lyneham.

When she heard his voice 'her face turned to stone'.

Simon, from Caerphilly, south Wales, said: "My mother not recognising me shouldn’t have been a surprise because I certainly wasn’t the lad I used to be.

"I only weighed eight stone instead the 18 and a half stone I had been but that’s reality isn’t it? When you have life changing moments things do alter."

But Simon said the hardest moment in his life was not connected to the Falklands War or his injuries – it was losing his grandfather and stepfather in the same week about 20 years ago.

He added: "I lost those two men that I loved dearly and they died within five days of each other. To me, that was harder than what I went through.

"Family is what keeps you going, keeps you strong."

But from being on the brink of death to his well publicised recovery, Simon will always be associated with the Falklands War. So has that felt like a big responsibility at times?

"It did at the beginning because I felt like I was taking responsibility for everybody," said the dad-of-three.

"If somebody did something bad then I felt the weight as if everybody was looking at me and if somebody did something good I didn’t want their praise.

"I didn’t particularly want to be in the public eye. I was quite happy being anonymous and then all of a sudden I couldn’t be.

"But I’m very grateful for what is has presented and provided in my life."

And his message after everything he has been through is that everyone should strive to be successful in their own way.

Simon, who also served with the Welsh Guards in Berlin, Northern Ireland and Kenya, added: "I’m no different to when I was playing rugby, when I was a soldier, when I got into a foot race, when I was in shooting teams and when I got into a boxing ring. Whatever I did I wanted to be the best.

"I wasn’t – but I didn’t fail and that’s the point. I believe success is there for everybody to enjoy and even if you’re not successful you haven’t failed because you’ve learnt something."

- Simon Weston presents My Life, My Story at the Pyramid on September 6. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345 for tickets