Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen admits he likes people thinking he’s a ‘king prat’

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen quite enjoyed being a divisive figure but his most recent stint on Celebrity Bear Hunt has meant getting used to being liked by many. The new Netflix show saw the 59-year-old interior designer and 11 other stars get dropped into a Costa Rican jungle to face 50-year-old adventurer Bear Grylls.

Plenty of viewers admired Laurence for tackling the programme’s gruelling challenges – with one resulting in him nearly dying due to becoming trapped underwater for several minutes after jumping from a boat. The Changing Rooms star’s popularity has been boosted, but he is finding that hard to deal with.

Laurence has bluntly said he’s ‘not happy about being accepted and popular’. He is quoted by Closer magazine as saying: ‘I was in Tesco the other night at exactly the moment where all the builders stop in to buy their tea. ‘They kept coming up to me and saying things like, “Oh my God, I’ve been watching you on Bear Hunt, I always thought you were a total prat, but I really like you now.”.

‘I’m slightly concerned because I’m not sure I’m ready to move away from my king prat status. ‘I’m not happy about being accepted and popular, I always liked being the one that people didn’t really know how to react to.’. The star is pretty certain he won’t take part in anything like Celebrity Bear Hunt again.

Laurence insisted: ‘My wife is adamant, but not quite as adamant as I am, that I’m never doing that again. ‘It was an absolutely marvellous thing to do, and as 60th birthday presents to yourself go, quite spectacular and unforgettable…. ‘Judging by everyone’s reactions, I think I’ve shown that us 60-year-olds are not to be written off.

‘Obviously, it’s going to end appallingly badly, but we can still roll up our sleeves and drown for entertainment!’. Laurence previously spoke to Metro about the moment he nearly drowned in shark-infested waters, and even recalled thinking host Holly Willoughby, 44, was an angel.

‘It was a really, really weird thing, because, yes, I could tell that I was quite close to not existing but I didn’t feel panicked about it,’ he explained. ‘That’s entirely down to Bear and Team Bear, who are this extraordinary collection of pirates – these sort of ex-SAS guys who’ve all had their teeth done. They’re all in camouflage, you can’t see them, and then there’s this slit of Simon Cowell.

‘I had a dodgy moment with Holly though, because there was a point where I blacked out and I came to and all I could see was this beatific blonde. Ok, it’s happened!’. The show, which also featured Boris Becker, Mel B and Shirley Ballas on the cast list, was eventually won by Big Zuu.

The prize for his efforts was… a rope, which has an unusual odour attached. Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to watch on Netflix. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

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