Bear Grylls has said he discovered co-star Holly Willoughby has a “streak of steel and a heart of gold” while working with her on Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Former This Morning presenter Willoughby, 43, hosts the new reality survival show which sees famous faces dropped into the jungle of Costa Rica to become “prey” for Grylls.
Grylls noted that Willoughby has “overcome many tough things in her life”, including facing a court case where a security guard was jailed last year for a minimum of 16 years for masterminding a plot to kidnap, rape and murder her.
Reflecting on her resilience on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, he said: “Holly has a beautiful spirit, she really does. And as you say, she’s overcome many tough things in her life.
“I think everybody on this show, myself, the cast and Holly, all of us are out of our comfort zone, so it’s a full-on committing experience in there. But I think the jungle does a lot of that for us, to challenge us and build us up.
“And I came away at the end of that thinking what a remarkable lady. Humble, brave, determined.
“Often talks herself down ‘I’d be hopeless in the Bear pit’, but she wouldn’t because she’s got a streak of steel and a heart of gold.”
Last year, Gavin Plumb was found guilty of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap of Willoughby following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
The TV star, who waived her right to anonymity in connection with the charges against Plumb, told The Sunday Times magazine last month: “It’s been a tough one. There’s no way of sugarcoating it.”
She said “nothing can prepare you for something like that” and you need to “decide, 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’”.
Willoughby also left her long-standing presenting role on This Morning in October 2023, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family after the plot emerged.
In her new show, the contestants stay in a lodge and are pursued by Grylls when they enter the ‘Bear pit’, where they are given a map and different options for escape.
The celebrities face challenges each week until they are eliminated with one being declared the winner.
The 12 contestants include Spice Girl Melanie Brown, Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, former tennis player Boris Becker, retired rugby player Danny Cipriani and TV host Steph McGovern.
TV cook Big Zuu, model Lottie Moss, The Saturdays star Una Healy, The Inbetweeners actor Joe Thomas, model Leomie Anderson, Ted Lasso star Kola Bokinni and TV interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen are also among the line-up.
At the London premiere on Tuesday evening, survivalist Grylls arrived by abseiling down a building onto the red carpet.
The 50-year-old said the “jungle is a great equaliser” so you can never know for certain who is going to be “great” on a survival show as it is often the “unlikely people that really surprise you”.
“Shirley, for example, I think she arrived a little bit on the back foot, feeling she’s older than everyone and she’s never done anything like this”, he added.
“But you don’t get the top of your dance perfection unless you’re steely, determined, committed, brave. So she was amazing.”
Asked if he had been considered for taking on the role of British ambassador to the US, for which Lord Peter Mandelson was selected in December, Grylls said: “I’m going to leave politics aside. I love America. I love our country. I love seeing them work together, let’s hope he does a good job.”
Celebrity Bear Hunt launches on Netflix on February 5.
