Nature is like your mamma; if you respect her, she will look after you. But if you disrespect her, she will teach you a lesson you will never forget.
I’m all yours for the next 20 minutes.” Bear Grylls is a busy man. I’m told to expect him to be doing press-ups or briskly walking when we talk but the reality is, he’s driving through the countryside – I occasionally hear the telltale click-clack of his indicator as he swoops round corners. The adventurer, Chief Scout, presenter, moustache-wearer, father of three, former SAS trooper and honorary colonel has in his lifetime circumnavigated the UK on jet skis; broken his spine when a parachute didn’t open; climbed Everest more than once; abandoned veganism to eat largely red meat; been dropped into the world’s most inhospitable places for a television programme; eaten bugs and liquid faecal matter; used a dead sheep as both a sleeping bag and a float; taken Barack Obama to Alaska to witness climate change; met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine to talk about war; free-climbed waterfalls; and wrestled alligators. He did not, as often reported, propose to his wife by clamping an engagement ring between his bare buttocks and swimming to a remote beauty spot. I guess you can’t do everything.
Hi Bear! Your shows push people to the limits of what they can do, but what survival skills should everyone know for everyday living?
There’s such a link between surviving in the jungle and surviving in life. I think that is why there’s a whole genre of survival people to relate to. When you’re in a jungle and it’s pouring with rain and you’re talking about putting your head down and having a strong attitude when you don’t necessarily want to; people understand it. So if I was having to pick what keeps people alive in a survival situation, it’s the same thing in life: survivor mindset, positivity quiet courage in a difficult moment, and what is that? What is that? Facing the difficult stuff and not running from it. Resilience, dogged determination, resourcefulness is key too. The NGU spirit – never give up. Surviving is head and heart. Not muscles. And the last thing I think is faith. Having that hope in your life, something that drives you on, and that’s been a secret survival weapon. I think that’s true in everyday life too. If you have something bigger than you, it keeps you happy.
So it’s more of a mindset rather than practical skills.
Skills can be learned. They are the easy part. I go into the jungle with people who have amazing skills but they cave after two days. So even if you don’t have the skills, it’s the survivor mindset that will get you through.
Did you always have that mindset as a kid or is it something you learned?
I had a dad who had been a Royal Marine commando, so he taught me a lot at a young age. I was a scout at a young age and I really wanted to have a job that was about adventure and the outdoors. So I learned all this stuff accidentally and then when I started TV I thought, “Well, I know all of this already,” but the more of it I did, the more I realised that really I didn’t know that much. And I feel that to this day. The more you do, the more you realise that you’re just scratching the surface.
Obviously having a relationship with nature is important to you - but what sustainable practices do you take part in?
I think that understanding that nature is always in charge, as a survivor, an adventurer, you have to go humbly to the big places. The wild is very humbling and it demands respect. Nature’s like your mamma; if you respect her, she’ll look after you. But if you disrespect her, she’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. The environment is number one. I’ve had the privilege in my life to see the extremes of it, it’s been shocking at times but we have one world and we have to protect it. I’ve lived off-grid on my little island in Wales for many years – nearly 20 years – and I see it so much in my role as Chief Scout, driving the agenda of young people who want to make a difference. It’s got to be number one on the agenda. We are never going to get it right, it’s all a work in progress. But you have to do the best you can with what you have.
Is there anywhere you’ve visited then revisited and seen the effects of climate change at first hand?
I see it all the time, all over the world. When we go back to jungles, mountains, glaciers, where we’ve operated before. You see dramatic changes and extreme weather and the effects that extreme weather have on wildlife and landscapes and people. We took Obama to Alaska and it was shocking to show him where the glacier was ten years ago, compared where it was today. Climate change is a ridiculous debate, it’s so hard to argue against.
What do you miss when you’re out on an adventure?
The wealth in my life is relationships. I always make sure I have good communications with my family while I’m away, and be in good contact with my wife and kids. That’s the hardest part. Stuff is stuff, beyond that. I love a good bath, I love tea, I love good quality meat and chocolate. And the dogs! It’s not complicated. Nature is the best healer.
What do you always have in your pockets?
I am quite… well, first of all at home, I wear an old canvas kilt so that doesn’t have a pocket. I like it. In terms of travel – my watch, which is destruction-proof, and then in my heart, my survivor attitude. So, yeah. Watch, phone and attitude.
Not a penknife?
They’re annoying in airports.
What about the kilt?
It’s very comfortable but I don’t wear it in public. Bare feet, bare top, kilt. I love it.
What is your life motto?
Courage, kindness and never give up. It’s simple.
I say it every day.
Set designer: Jabez Bartlett at Streeters. Grooming: Alfie Sackett at LGA Management. Photographer’s assistants: Bella Sporle, Max Hayter and Jim Tobias. Make-up assistant: Aoibhin Isabella Killeen. Set design assistant: James Ward.