Biography
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (born 7 June 1974) is a British adventurer, author, and television host. He is best known for his TV show Man vs. Wild (2006–2011), which was originally called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in the UK.
Grylls has also participated in various wilderness survival shows in both the UK and the US. In July 2009, at the age of 35, he became the youngest-ever Chief Scout in the United Kingdom.
Born in Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland, Grylls lived there until he was four before his family relocated to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight.
He is the son of Conservative politician Sir Michael Grylls, who was involved in the cash-for-questions scandal, and Lady Sarah Grylls. Lady Grylls is the daughter of politician Patricia Ford, briefly an Ulster Unionist Party MP, and cricketer and businessman Neville Ford. Grylls has one older sister, Lara Fawcett, a cardio-tennis coach, who gave him the nickname "Bear" when he was just a week old.
Grylls attended Ludgrove School and Eton College, where he helped establish the first mountaineering club. He later graduated part-time with a degree in Hispanic studies from Birkbeck, University of London, in 2002, and also graduated from the University of the West of England.
From a young age, Grylls learned climbing and sailing from his father, a member of the esteemed Royal Yacht Squadron. As a teenager, he took up skydiving and achieved a second dan black belt in Shotokan karate. He joined the Cub Scouts at age eight. Grylls is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. A Christian, he has described his faith as the "backbone" of his life.
In 2000, Grylls married Shara Cannings Knight, and they have three sons. In August 2015, it was reported that Grylls left his young son Jesse stranded on Saint Tudwal's Island off the North Wales coast as the tide was coming in, requiring a rescue by the RNLI. The RNLI later criticized the stunt, stating their crew "had not appreciated" that a child was involved.
