Bear Grylls pays tribute to Holly Willoughby as new Netflix show confirms celebrity line-up: ‘No better person!’
TV adventurer Bear Grylls, 50, has issued a heartwarming message to Holly Willoughby, 43, ahead of the pair’s stint hosting the new Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt.
The new show will see a selection of celeb contestants take on gruelling challenges set by Grylls in a stifling jungle setting.
Among the names joining the show are former Spice Girl Mel B, 49, Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas, 64, tennis star Boris Becker, 57, and interior designer and Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 59.
The series will see the contestants complete challenges in the Costa Rican jungle while being stalked by the ex-SAS host Grylls.
Grylls forbiddingly surmised: “I have done many wild things in my life but I have never hunted celebrities. The celebrities won’t come out of this the same.”
“I don’t think they knew what they were signing up for,” Willoughby admitted with a grin in the trailer for the new show.
The other celebs going head-to-head with Grylls will be The Inbetweeners actor Joe Thomas, Top Boy star Kola Bokinni, The Saturdays Una Healy and England rugby player Danny Cipriani.
Models Leomie Anderson and Lottie Moss, presenter Steph McGovern, and TV chef and rapper Big Zuu have also headed to Costa Rica.
Speaking ahead of the series premiere, Grylls posted a touching tribute to his co-host as he shared a snap of him and Willoughby on Instagram.
“There is no better person to have help host this adventure than the unstoppable @hollywilloughby,” he began in an Instagram post.
“Thank you Holly for bringing so much light and positivity to this @netflix adventure,” he added.
In the picture, Grylls is outfitted in combat gear and covered in mud while Willoughby stands beside him, pristine and with a beaming grin.
Willoughby responded with a tribute of her own on social media, writing: “Aww… and thank you @beargrylls for helping me be a bit braver! Loved working with you… you’re a real inspiration!” (sic)
The contrast between the co-hosts’ attire was made even more stark in the trailer where the celeb cast were seen decked out in survivalist necessities.
In the trailer, viewers were treated to sights like Mel B wading across a river and Big Zuu precariously making his way across a rickety wooden bridge over a ravine.
Llewelyn-Bowen even swapped his famously ostentatious style for combat gear and a headband.
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The trailer, which teased both action-packed challenges and the more tender moments in the show’s base camp, was replete with the reactions of the overwhelmed cast.
However, tennis star Becker had the hardiest words about his own chances: “I survived prison. I wanna compare that to the wild. It’s about overcoming and not falling down.”