Holly’s tougher than she looks… don’t be fooled by exterior, says Bear Grylls as he reveals grit ahead of Bear Hunt

HE has endured the world’s harshest environments, but as Bear Grylls launches his new adventure series, he insists the real survival expert is his co-star Holly Willoughby.

Celebrity Bear Hunt saw the 43-year-old mum jet out to film in Costa Rica — a country notorious for its hijackings, executions and drug gangs — just weeks after discovering that she had been the target of a kidnap, rape and murder plot here in the UK.

While making the eight-parter, which starts on Netflix next week, ex-SAS trooper Bear, 50, says he discovered an inner steel that belies Holly’s girl-next-door TV image.

He said: “I’ve learned over this show that she is much smarter, ­savvier, tougher than she looks — and do not be fooled by that nice exterior. I’m not, and I tell her this often.

“Holly always says, ‘I would be ­terrible if I was a contestant. I’d die. I’d just sit in a bush and cry’. But I’m suspicious of that.

“Holly is also dreamy and so easy to work with. Non-ego. You know, I knew we were going to be in the jungle.

“I knew it was going to be a tough environment, and I needed somebody with real grace.”

Despite heading into such a hostile location to make Bear Hunt, Holly insists she just had to get on with her “business’ as a TV host.

That was despite her kidnap threat ordeal, which forced her to quit ITV’s This Morning after 14 years in October 2023.

This weekend, she broke her long silence on the plot, which saw 37-year-old security guard Gavin Plumb sentenced to life with a 16-year ­minimum term last year.

‘Nothing can prepare you’

Talking about the year from hell she endured after discovering his chilling plan, mother-of-three Holly said: “It’s been a tough one — there’s no way of sugar-coating it.

“Nothing can prepare you for ­something like that. When something like that happens, you have a ­decision to make.

“You either decide, ‘Right, I can take this on board and it can absolutely affect all aspects of my life’. Or I can make a choice to go, ‘Let’s focus on everything that’s positive and good — all those important things.’

“I’m healthy and I’m happy. I’ve got a wonderful husband and children and family, I’ve got great friends.

“You have to say, ‘I choose to move forward positively’ then rely on all those people — the police, the court, the judge, the jury, all those people — to do their role. And that’s what I had to do.”

Asked if she feared the experience might consume her, she said: “No. It wasn’t an option.

“For me, it’s just not an option. For all those reasons I’ve said. That all means too much to me, to let that be the other road I could have gone down.

“And so many people go through tough things. They just do.

“I mean, every single person I speak to — and it seems more and more are currently going through something . . .”

It was this empathy that Bear says also made Holly invaluable on ­Celebrity Bear Hunt, which sees a dozen famous faces “hunted” through a section of the deadly Costa Rican jungle dubbed the Bear Pit.

It is a tough challenge, and Holly’s role was not only to present the action, as she did on This Morning and is currently doing as co-host of ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

It was also to be there for the celebrities when they returned to camp, sometimes traumatised and injured by their ordeal in the wild.

Bear said: “I think Holly is a really good ear for them. She’s like, ‘Oh, come and have a cup of tea’, and I’m like, ‘No — they need to learn this knot.

“Sort it out. We’ll see them in the Bear Pit tomorrow. And then we can be nice’. Yeah. So there’s a good- cop, bad-cop thing going on.

“It’s a high-pressure environment for them back in there. They come out of the Pit exhausted.”

Bear added: “I’m nice 90 per cent of the time — in the Bear Pit ­occasionally I’m a little nastier.”

The star insists that his experience filming Bear Hunt with Holly only ­confirmed what he has learned through a career spent in the wildest parts of the globe. He says: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

It was hammered home to him by the celebrities on the show, who included Strictly’s Shirley Ballas, model Lottie Moss, singer Una Healy and TV chef Big Zuu.

Holly is also dreamy and so easy to work with. Non-ego. You know, I knew we were going to be in the jungle

Bear Grylls

Bear said: “Just because you think somebody’s a bit older or, you know, heavier . . . the wild’s not like that. It’s all about spirit, and unlikely heroes emerge. I mean Shirley, you know, she’s showing them all.

“Lottie, you think she’d be maybe ‘just a model’, but she is super- focused. I would call her ‘just a model’ at your peril!

“She is really delivering and has that warrior look, which is great.

“It’s the same with Una, actually. She’s like, ‘I’m done with being nice — it’s time in that Pit to get ­ruthless’. That’s her own words.

“And I go, ‘Yeah, you don’t wanna live all your life like that, but there’ll come a time when somebody treats you wrong. You need a little bit of that edge in life’.

“So I like the reflection to life through these sort of shows.”

If it sounds a little similar to ITV’s I’m A Celebrity, then be prepared for a ­surprise because the challenges go way beyond eating animal private parts or coming face to face with gunge and creepy crawlies.

Though the celebs live in a camp and have to navigate the personalities of their co-stars, in this show the participants are essentially prey.

‘We all have primal side’

Bear said: “We’ve never done a show hunting people down. It definitely has an edge to it.

“But also it’s a big, big production to do because it’s a huge area to try to run this thing in.

“You’ve got explosions, you’ve got nets, you’ve got celebrities, you’ve got jungle, you’ve got wildlife. There’s an awful lot of moving parts.

“But I love it. I love doing shows that build ­people up. I don’t want it to be like a ‘We’re out just to beat you’.

“I wanted this to be an amazing experience for these guys.

“And from day one, the celebrities are totally into it. Like, ‘I want to learn this stuff — I want to become good at this’.

“And I think we all have a bit of a primal side where we want to be good at this stuff.

“I get a kick out of training them and putting them through the actual Bear Pit stuff that’s a little harder and more intense.

“But it’s pressure, testing this sort of stuff for real in that ­environment — it’s intimidating.

“You can talk about camouflage and tracking skills and survival skills and adventure skills and knots and shelters. But actually, putting it all together, where your survival depends on it, while under pressure . . . it’s pretty intense.

We’ve never done a show hunting people down. It definitely has an edge to it

Bear Grylls

“I’ve never done a show like this before, but I’m proud of it and it’s taken a really good team to help me put it together. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to be gritty.

“It’s going to have a gnarly feel to it and people are going to be intimidated and scared in the Pit.

“But ultimately I want them to come out, eyes shining bright.

“Those that still make it are super-proud of what they’ve done, and those that don’t give 100 per cent and don’t have it will naturally fall by the wayside.

“Cream tends to rise to the top. And I love seeing that at the end.”

• Celebrity Bear Hunt starts on Netflix on February 5.

TV host Steph McGovern

I WANTED to do this because I have a four-year-old daughter who I want to grow into a strong woman, and I think this will show her that her mum is strong.

I like to push myself out of my comfort zone every so often.

Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni

I’VE done Marine training. I flew in helicopters at night. I’ve done things that are quite challenging.

The unknown is exciting and nerve-racking. I want to dive into it and see where I get to just so, at the end, I can be proud of myself.

Strictly judge Shirley Ballas

MY son said to me, ‘Don’t think about being competitive.’ But that’s who I am.

I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, I’ve jumped out of aeroplanes and, while I get a bit nervous inside, fear is not something I show.

Designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

EVERYONE assumes I’m going to be a terrible ponce, but I’m a lot harder than I look.

I assumed I’d get some kind of Roger Moore safari suit. I didn’t know I’d be in Velcro, for God’s sake!

Model Leomie Anderson

PEOPLE have this perception of what a model is capable of. They think we only care about how we look and we’re not smart.

I want to shatter those stereotypes. And also, to do it for my dad, who passed away two Christmases ago.

Ex-Rugby Player Danny Cipriani

PRIOR to this, my biggest challenge was probably my rugby. Going into a sport and facing the spotlight while continuing to learn about myself.

I feel that’s been my biggest journey and, at 36, I feel like I’m starting life again.

Model Lottie Moss

MY mum and dad think I’m crazy for doing this, and my friends are excited for me. They believe in me, which is nice.

My mum said, ‘I’ll see you at the end as you’re 100 per cent going to win’. But I don’t know what to expect.

Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas

I’M not a team leader – I don’t want conflict. I want everyone to be getting along and having a laugh and I’m going to be like a willing foot soldier.

I’m going to try to make sure everyone is happy and to be there for people.

Spice Girl Mel B

I HAVE been with the Spice Girls for longer than I can remember! We all have roles.

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you’re in the middle. I’ve played all different roles over 30 years. I think I’ll bring that to the dynamic.

TV chef Big Zuu

I HATE losing. I have to win! Otherwise, there’s no point. I feel like mentally I’m a very strong person.

I always say I’m a big character. My big energy normally leads to me being in charge and if I’m not, I’m going to have something to say!

Singer Una Healy

I’M the kind of person that loves being given an itinerary. Even being in The Saturdays, I loved being told what we were doing the next day.

After being in a girl group, I am very much used to working as part of a team.

Wimbledon star Boris Becker

I’M one of the oldest participants, so I’ve had a very intense and public life. I’ve had unbelievable moments and really bad moments.

In hindsight, I’m glad I’ve had all these experiences. It makes me humble . . . and wiser.