Celebrity Bear Hunt's Holly Willoughby confesses Bear Grylls helped her 'handle dark times'
Celebrity Bear Hunt's Holly Willoughby confesses Bear Grylls helped her 'handle dark times'
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Holly Willoughby has revealed how new Netflix jungle series Celebrity Bear Hunt helped her to face the tough times she was having back at home. The former This Morning presenter suggested that working alongside longterm pal Bear Grylls had been useful while she coped with the sinister kidnap plot that prompted her decision to quit the ITV daytime show after 14 years.
Holly left in October 2023, after police foiled plans by Gavin Plumb to abduct her from the London home that she and her family have since vacated. The security guard, 37, is now serving a minimum 16-year life sentence over his terrifying plan to knock her out with chloroform and take her to a dungeon..
This weekend an emotional Holly, 43, described the past 18 months as “sh*t for all of us”, explaining: “Nothing can prepare you for something like that.” But having picked herself up for the new adventure series, filmed in Costa Rica last year, the TV star said she’d returned feeling stronger than before, having learned new life skills from Grylls alongside the 12 celebrity players.
“There were a few moments on this show where I had to dig deep and have a strong word with myself,” she said. “At those times it was good to have someone like Bear Grylls next you saying, ‘being brave is about using that fear, harnessing it and doing it anyway’. He has definitely given me some transferable skills and being in nature allows you to put your thinking down for a bit and be present.”.
Holly, who is also waiting to see if You Bet, with Stephen Mulhern, gets commissioned as a series after two specials in December, added: “I think it’s important to challenge yourself as you get older, you should always push yourself to try new things. I was most looking forward to experiencing the unknown. I think when you discover you’re braver than you think - it builds confidence and gives you skills to take back home and use in your real life.”.
