[4] Lehtonen, interested at visual arts when younger, served on the Finnish Navy's Special Operation Forces (SOF) unit for 13 years.

[4] Originally trained as a combat diver, Lehtonen served for the Defence Forces in multiple tours of duty, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia twice, and fought against terrorism and piracy.

[2][9][10] In 2023, Lehtonen competed in the first season of the Finnish version of The Amazing Race with his ex-Special Forces colleague Robin Hendry.

[4] During his appearance in Amazing Race Suomi with (Robin) Hendry, Lehtonen has told that he had become "more approachable" amongst the television viewers, who saw him first on Erikoisjoukot as a "tough instructor", and that showing his real human side has had "positive impact on his brand and work career".

[21] He has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and has told that the traumatic "close call" experiences he had experienced on the Special Forces have still left marks in his head.