Prince Harry: JJ Chalmers reveals when he last spoke to Duke JJ Chalmers has opened up about his special bond with Prince Harry after they first met in 2014, while he prepared to compete in the triathlon. The pair bonded over their experiences in the Armed Forces after JJ had survived a week in a coma at the Queen Elizabeth military hospital in Birmingham. During his time in the Royal Marines, the former soldier and his comrades were blown up after accidentally stepping on an IED (improvised explosive device) in 2011.
JJ says he woke up on his back “pulverised” by rubble and with wounds to almost every part of his body. Ahead of his 2020 Strictly appearance, he recalled: “Every part of my body had sustained some sort of damage. Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's mouthpiece takes cruel swipe at William Prince Harry invited JJ Chalmers to take part in the Invictus Games (Image: Getty) “My legs were torn open, my face was crushed, my neck was broken, my arms were pretty well torn off.
" JJ called the aftermath of the explosion “the worst pain I have ever experienced,” as he endured 30 operations, many lasting up to a gruelling 14 hours. “My arms essentially came off, and they were stuck back on by incredible surgeons in the coming weeks, and months, and years, for that matter.” He continued: “My face was crushed, my neck was broken, my eardrums were burst.
Pretty much everything had had some level of damage.” “But, except for a couple of fingers, ev.