Every father aspires for his children to lead exciting lives, and adventurer Bear Grylls, undoubtedly one of the most daring personalities on television, likely wanted his sons to stand out even more than most.
To start, he named them Jesse, Marmaduke, and Huckleberry. Subsequently, he chose to have the family reside on a houseboat on the Thames.
In addition to getting paid to descend ravines or wrestle with crocodiles, Bear firmly believes that it is not only beneficial but essential for boys to climb trees and create rafts from leaves, nearly as soon as they learn to walk.
Thus far, he has embraced the survival philosophy with his children and casually mentions how he recently observed them—aged seven, five, and four—climbing a church steeple from the outside.
As I ponder this, considering whether it might be the right moment to remove the training wheels from my own son’s bike, he nonchalantly refers to Jesse saving a young girl from a river.
Whoa! Wait a minute. Did he really save a life? At just seven? Surely, there’s a bit of embellishment here?
‘No, no. They were playing in a small base near a stream when she fell in,’ he clarifies.
‘And I wasn’t there, you know, and the story tends to grow each time he tells it… but he did pull her out, and he felt incredibly proud of that.’
While Bear is pleased, it seems pride isn’t the only feeling in play. He reveals that the older his children become, the more he worries that his influence on them may not be entirely positive.
‘The headmaster once told me, “It’s fantastic that they might know how to remove a helicopter door or handle a snake bite, but it would be wonderful if they paid a bit more attention to mathematics.” That sentiment resonates with me right now.
‘For a long time, I didn’t want them to be too aware of my work. I changed that when I noticed their friends discussing me at school, while they had yet to watch the show.
‘Striking the right balance is challenging. Do I wish for them to grow up to be me? Not really. I’m not suited for the traditional workforce. I don’t want that for them.’
Although his wife, Shara, sees his television ventures, Bear admits she leans more towards watching Sex And The City.
‘Honestly, it works out for me. I’m someone who believes every man should know how to start a fire without any tools or tie knots in the dark. However, she occasionally points out, “All those skills are great, but they aren’t particularly applicable to most office situations.”
‘I suppose I’m fortunate not to work in an office, but my whole life has revolved around climbing big things.
‘It might not turn out that way for my children. That’s why I’m trying to advise them: “Listen, you probably don’t want to pursue my career.” They counter, “We do.” And I insist, “No, you really don’t.”’
Is he truly suggesting that he would prefer any of his sons to be an accountant instead of an adventurer?
‘In fact, I think that might be more advantageous all around.’
Bear Grylls’ father was Tory MP Sir Michael Grylls. Bear, whose real name is Edward, attended Eton before enrolling in the Army and ultimately joining the SAS.
Bear Grylls first gained public recognition 17 years ago when, after surviving a life-threatening parachute accident, he became the youngest person to summit Mount Everest.
Since that time, he has created over 70 adventure and survival documentaries, been designated Chief Scout, and transformed himself into somethingof an idol for boys everywhere.
When I meet up with him, he has just come back from another exhausting filming trip. I jokingly inquire whether, at 36, he feels he might be too old for all of this, and surprisingly, his physiotherapist has been asking him the same question.
I then ask how many of his nine lives he estimates he has remaining.
“I’ve really gone beyond the nine,” he responds. “It’s not that we act recklessly, but every day we’re working with crocodiles, snakes, and sharks, plus doing free climbs, so it’s bound to happen.”
He recounts several near-misses over the last couple of years. “A few months ago, I almost had my head taken off by a falling camera. Once, I had to be airlifted off a mountain. It’s relentless. Just two weeks ago, I got bitten by a snake. Thankfully, it didn’t inject venom, but I know it’s all just a lottery.”
He confesses that he has, indeed, taken care of practical matters like a will. For a while, he even contemplated that it might be best for him to stop jumping off high places.
Unfortunately, that decision didn’t turn out to be better for him.
“There was a period five years ago when we leaned a bit towards ‘survival and bushcrafting,’ but it became dull. I fought hard to preserve the adventure aspect. That’s the part I truly love—skydiving, constructing rafts, navigating rapids…”
“It’s been nine years, and I don’t want to stop just because I’m afraid. This is the only thing I’ve ever truly excelled at in my life, and I really enjoy it. I believe you need to be cautious and feel fear—but continue doing it anyway.”
Meanwhile, his eldest son Jesse has developed his own life mantra, which Bear is considering adopting: Be prepared, never give up, be determined…and eat chocolate all the time!
“How can you argue with that?” he quips.
by Milo Johnson
