Bear Grylls

He is associated with many charitable organizations like ‘The Prince’s Trust’, ‘The JoLt Trust’. Most of his expeditions have been aimed at raising funds for organizations such as ‘Global Angels’, 'The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme', 'Royal National Lifeboat Institution', 'SSAFA Forces Help', 'Hope and Homes for Children'.

He was born to Sir Michael Grylls and Lady Sarah Grylls on 7th June, 1974, in Donaghadee region of Northern Ireland, and christened Edward Michael Grylls. His elder sister is named Lara Fawcett, and it was she who nicknamed him as Bear.

When he was four years old, his family shifted to Bembridge village on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. He was trained in climbing and sailing by his father when he was a child. He turned into a cub scout when he was eight years old.

He received education from institutions such as ‘Ludgrove School’ and ‘Eton College. He initiated the establishment of a mountaineering club in the ‘Eton College’.

In his youth, he trained in skydiving and also obtained a black belt in Shotokan karate.

He joined the ‘Territorial Army’ (Army Reserve UK) and worked at the ‘Special Air Service’ unit of the army for three years. He was a combat survival instructor and learnt demolitions, parachuting, unarmed combat, evasive driving and trauma medic.

During this period, he met with an accident which caused him spinal injury. He underwent medication and rehabilitation in order to recover from that injury.

In 1997, he climbed the Mount Ama Dablam and became the youngest British to climb this mountain.

He went hiking in the Himalayan Mountains of Sikkim and West Bengal, and on 26th May, 1998, he climbed Mount Everest and registered his name in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’.

He went on a fund raising expedition for the ‘Royal National Lifeboat Institution’ (RNLI) and led a team on Jet Skis to circumnavigate the UK in the year 2000. This was a pioneering initiative and the expedition took 30 days to complete.

His television show ‘Man v/s Wild’ has been a huge success and has made Grylls an international figure. The adventures he experiences are unique and the survival strategies which he employs are bizarre. This show was launched in the UK as ‘Born Survivor: Bear Grylls’. The show ran for five years and had seven seasons in total.