A soldier awarded the first Victoria Cross in over two decades for saving 30 colleagues in an Iraq ambush is to separate from his wife, the ministry of defence confirmed. Private Johnson Beharry, 25, who was bestowed with the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy by the Queen last month, has admitted the trauma of his war experiences have caused ‘difficulties’ in his relationship. Wife Lynthia, 23, a civilian worker for the ministry of defence’s medical supply department, was at his side when he made the proud visit to Buckingham Palace, but the couple said in a statement they had come to a ‘crossroads’. In their statement, issued through the ministry, the couple said: “We’ve been together for eight years but sadly there have been difficulties in our relationship. We have been through a lot and it has not been easy, either for Johnson in Iraq and then recovering from his wounds, or Lynthia facing the uncertainty of his deployment and then recovery. “We’ve come to a crossroads and are now taking some time apart to consider our futures. We hope to be given the privacy to work this through for ourselves, with the support of our friends and families.” Beharry was struck by a bullet as he single-handedly guided a stricken Warrior convoy through the flashpoint town of Al Amarah last May - rescuing countless colleagues. A month later, he saved more lives in a second ferocious exchange and suffered serious head wounds in a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) assault that left him in a coma. The Grenada-born soldier, who still bears a scar across his skull and is continuing to recover from his injuries, said he was ‘just doing the job’. As the Queen pinned his VC - the first awarded since since Lt Colonel H Jones and Sgt Ian John McKay received posthumous honours after the Falklands war - to his chest, she told him: “You’re very special.” Reprinted gulf-time.com