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Matty Blythe went from catching bombs in Super League to helping dispose of them safely around post-war Iraq.

The former Warrington and Bradford centre has spent the last two years working in close protection in the Middle East, acting as a bodyguard to experts clearing the improvised devices of ISIS.

Blythe switched from taking carries for his team on the rugby field to carrying AK47s around some of the most dangerous parts of Iraq.

Now back in England and training future bodyguards, the 31-year-old has lifted the lid on his remarkable experiences just north of Baghdad.

Blythe explained: “We were taken to places that ISIS would target with their improvised devices. They were trying to mess up the economy, the infrastructure - just destroy the place basically. We went to hospitals, schools and low cost housing.

(Image: Matty Blythe)

“The stuff we saw them take out at one hospital was ridiculous. There were improvised devices, rockets, land mines, trip wires - everything. It was absolutely littered.

“Then there were the houses, areas that had been bombed heavily during the war that still had people living there. They were living with holes in their roofs, knowing that they could have IEDs (improvised explosives) around them.

“It was crazy and it opens your eyes. I was a bit naive to the war from just watching it on tele. Until you see it first hand, and the kids living there - it’s horrible.”

Blythe made the decision to retire from rugby league at just 28 during an injury-hit second spell at hometown Warrington, who helped him train for his current career with financial support.

His first job was in London acting as a bodyguard for a family that had faced serious threats, but his path quickly changed when a colleague asked if he fancied working in Iraq.

Despite initial and understandable concerns from his family, Blythe quickly accepted.

He explained: “It was scary at first. You go via Turkey and I was fine then, I couldn’t wait to get there. But when I was flying into Baghdad I suddenly thought ‘oh my God, what am I doing here, this is ridiculous, it’s a bad idea’.

(Image: Getty Images)

“You go into the airport, you’ve got to sort all your visas out, and have no idea who’s picking you up or even if you can go outside the airport on your own.

@You’ve got all these things going through your head wondering if you’re going to get shot, but as soon as I went into camp I was fine, all the lads were great.

“I was the only non ex-military there, and I knew I had to prove myself, which I’d been trying to do all my rugby career too. You want the clients to feel safe around you, and being ex-military does help. But after a week or so I was well into the job.”

Blythe’s role saw him accompanying bomb disposal specialists to sites that had been identified as hosting explosives, ensuring they weren’t subjected to any external risks given their work was a target for ISIS.

He recalled: “My first day was my birthday and it was at a factory site. There’s different flags to say where you can and can’t go.

“They told me not to stand anywhere near red flags because those areas hadn’t been cleared yet, but white flags were okay. We had to stand a certain distance back from the bomb disposal guys in case anything happens, and I spent half that first day looking at my feet.

“I was glad to get home that night. It was overwhelming at first, but it was exciting too and the adrenalin was amazing.

(Image: Matty Blythe)

“Iraq is a very, very run down place now - that’s the first thing you notice, every building is damaged or has got a bullet hole in it.

“We’d be working in villages and it’s still dangerous there, we’d have intel on a daily basis telling us what was happening and whether we’d been targeted. There were days we couldn’t go out because we weren’t in tanks or anything, we were in basic 4x4s, although they were bullet proof.”

Blythe himself didn’t see any active fighting, although one of his previous clients died while clearing an area.

“It wasn’t on my site, but one of my mates was killed a couple of months ago in an explosion,” Blythe explained. “I worked with him for a year and a half before he went on a different contract.

“Iraq isn’t as bad as it used to be, and some of the lads I worked with told me how terrible it was before, just after the war. But we were still getting threats - it was all about managing those.”

(Image: Matty Blythe)

Blythe was based at a camp that also hosted English and US military, with Donald Trump visiting special forces last Boxing Day.

Blythe set up touch rugby matches on site, although one innocuous knock on his shoulder reaffirmed his decision to retire, and he has no plans to return now despite still only being 31 and having almost 100 Super League matches under his belt.

Instead he has become managing director and course leader for close protection firm Vanquish, and firmly believes other players could follow his path when they finish playing.

He added: “I’ve had a few contact me and ask how I got into it, and I think it could be a really good thing for rugby league lads. There are loads of fundamentals and characteristics that close protection shares with rugby league.

“There’s a lot of planning and preparation with video sessions, and you need to think about X, Y and Z before you think about A, B and C in both. You’re always planning for the worst case scenario, and you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.

“There’s the adrenalin rush you get, and the camaraderie with the lads, I didn’t want to miss that after rugby. In rugby league you’re looking to win the game - in this, you want to make sure everybody gets home safe.”

Blythe is now leading training at www.vanquishacademy.com/close-protection-training