Bear Grylls admits Holly Willoughby was 'nervous' as she threw herself 'in at the deep end' ahead of TV comeback for Celebrity Bear Hunt

LEOMIE ANDERSON

Bear Grylls has admitted Holly Willoughby was very nervous ahead of filming for her new show Celebrity Bear Hunt as she embarked on her TV comeback.

The presenter, 43, took some time away from screens and the red carpet, aside from her role on Dancing On Ice, after a ‘graphic’ kidnap and murder plot against her was revealed back in 2023.

However the star is now throwing herself back into the spotlight with her most adventurous show yet, Celebrity Bear Hunt.

And her co-star Bear has explained just how nervous Holly was as he confessed: ‘She was was in at the deep end.’

Speaking on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK on Tuesday morning, Bear chatted about working with Holly as he said: ‘She was a dream.

‘I’ve never really worked with anyone else like that before. She’s just gentle, heart led. She was nervous. She was in at the deep end.

Bear Grylls has admitted Holly Willoughby was ‘nervous’ as she threw herself ‘in at the deep end’ ahead of Celebrity Bear Hunt show as she embarked on new challenge for TV comeback

Bear chatted about working with Holly as he said: ‘She was a dream. ‘I’ve never really worked with anyone else like that before…. She was nervous. She was in at the deep end’

‘What a great girl, and she added such a beautiful bit of empathy and love, a sort of warmth to the celebs when they’re back at camp because they were nervous. Everyone’s kind of high octane in it. And she was great. She was great.’

According to Netflix, the compeтιтion show sees a group of unlikely celebrities get dropped into the Central American jungle as prey for one of the world’s most fearsome predators – Bear.

As Bear puts them through their paces, those who fail to impress will face the dreaded ‘Bear Hunt’.

The Bear Hunt is said to be a brutal game of cat and mouse where they’ll be hunted down by Bear himself and, if captured, face elimination from the show.

Show bosses have pulled out all the stops with their latest line-up which features Spice Girl Mel B, Strictly judge Shirley Ballas, Boris Becker and model Lottie Moss.

Also joining the A-list line-up is Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Steph McGovern, Una Healy, Kila Bokinni, Leomie Anerson and Danny Cipriani.

Holly recently opened up about the challenges that came with being back at home after she took time out from work last year.

Finding a new role as a stay-at-home-mum, the former This Morning host said it was challenging being home alone and not speaking to anyone all day, as she would want to chat to her kids – Harry, 15, Chester, 10, and Belle, 13 – when they got back from school but they’d be ‘exhausted’.

The former This Morning host took some time away from screens and the red carpet, aside from her role on Dancing On Ice, after a ‘graphic’ kidnap and murder plot against her was revealed (pictured in October 2023)

According to Netflix, the compeтιтion show sees a group of unlikely celebrities get dropped into the Central American jungle as prey for one of the world’s most fearsome predators – Bear

She told The Sunday Times: ‘It’s been sh** for all of us, we’ve had to get used to how each other works again, you know?’

Read More Celebrity Bear Hunt rocked by injuries – with one star ‘forced to drop out in first episode’

‘Don’t get me wrong, the kids, to begin with when I was at home a lot, they’d walk through the door and I’d be like, “So? What happened?” because I hadn’t spoken to anyone [all day].

‘Normally I’m at work and absolutely knackered, and so I’m like, “All right kids?” and they’re like, “All right Mum,” and that’s it – and suddenly I was, “So, what happened today?” They were like, “Mum, just because you’ve been at home all day — we’ve been at school, we’re exhausted”.’

Holly revealed she loved being able to return to doing the school run, something she knows other parents must have been jealous she usually got out of doing due to her early morning TV gigs.

As well as that, she said she had been able to go to so many more things her children – who she shares with her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin – were getting up to.

Celebrity Bear Hunt: Meet The Cast!