Celebrity Bear Hunt struck by disaster as one star 'almost dies' in speedboat stunt

Celebrity Bear Hunt saw one contestant "nearly die" during filming after a stunt went wrong. The Netflix show, fronted by Bear Grylls and Holly Willoughby will see a string of famous faces put through a variety of challenges as they learn survival skills in Costa Rica. The celebs will take on various challenges in the jungle in order to avoid being caught by host Bear. But it appears that it wasn't plain sailing for everybody, with reports suggesting that one celebrity was forced to withdraw due to sustaining an injury, while another allegedly faced a serious disaster during a stunt. It's claimed that while filming, interior designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen endured an alarming incident involving a bungee cord.

Laurence, 59, was allegedly leaping from a boat and into a river when the cord became stuck underneath the vessel, causing him to become entangled. It's said that Laurence was pulled underwater for several minutes, before members of the production team leapt into action after he reportedly lost consciousness. Speaking to the MailOnline, a source said: "Laurence was very shaken as was everyone. He said that he thought he was a goner. It was a very serious situation and at the time we thought that maybe Netflix wouldn't show what happened because it was that bad, but now it looks as if it will be in the programme.".

The source added that Netflix were extremely apologetic after the incident. Meanwhile, executive producer of the show, Ben Mitchell said: "There was a very scary moment with Laurence." Ben went on to add: "The celebs had to jump off a moving speedboat SAS-style. I think he had quite a hard landing and was a bit shocked in the water. He thought he was having a heart attack.". He later stated that Bear was the first on scene as he was closest to the designer, with Laurence being rescued and taken to the shore to be given oxygen. Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Boris Becker was forced to withdraw after sustaining a serious injury. Speaking to the publication, Mitchell said: "Boris, after years of playing tennis, as you'd expect, he's kind of ravaged by injury, so his mobility was impaired. He jarred his knee and we didn’t want him to risk causing any kind of further damage so he was shipped out, which was a real shame.".

But Laurence and Boris aren't the only ones who faced a setback, Steph McGovern was also left in a predicament after swinging off a cliff, face first. She was reportedly said to have been covered in bruises, while some had been concerned she had been left concussed. Host Holly Willoughby was said to be close to tears after witnessing the shocking moment as she covered her face with her hands. Steph was later deemed fit to continue just 24 hours later and viewers will see her with a plaster on her nose in the trailer for the series. The Mirror has approached Celebrity Bear Hunt and Laurence's spokespeople for comment.