Holly Willoughby makes her TV comeback in Netflix's new reality show, Celebrity Bear Hunt, a challenge she says "couldn't have been further out of my comfort zone".
The former This Morning host, who stepped away from the spotlight last year after a horrific ordeal that saw a security guard jailed for a kidnap plot, said she was "up for the adventure" and admits "the older I've got, the more I want to test myself".
The competition show, currently streaming on Netflix, sees a group of unlikely celebrities get dropped into a Central American jungle as prey for one of the world's most fearsome predators – Bear Grylls.
Watch: We chat to all twelve celebrity contestants from Netflix's new reality show, Celebrity Bear Hunt
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The star-studded line-up includes: former tennis star Boris Becker, retired rugby player Danny Cipriani, TV host Steph McGovern, rapper and TV chef Big Zuu, The Saturdays singer Una Healy, Inbetweeners actor Joe Thomas, Spice Girls star Melanie Brown (Mel B), model Lottie Moss, Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas, actor Kola Bokinni, model and TV host Leomie Anderson and TV interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
"As soon as he described it I thought (a) that sounds like something I'd want to watch and (b) my kids are going to love it because they are obsessed with Bear anyway. It's actually hard to find a show for all of the kids at different ages to watch and get into," she said.
She added: "Also, I feel like the older I've got, the more I want to test myself and push myself and do something a little bit out of my comfort zone - and this couldn't have been further out of my comfort zone. But I was up for the adventure!"
Willoughby explained how she couldn't help but feel "really proud" of all the celebrities that took part in the show and admits there's a surprising amount of heart in the series.
"Actually, that's the bit about the show that I loved the most. I don't know if I was expecting that to happen," she said.
"I think a lot of them underestimated themselves and they were surprised that they were a bit tougher, a bit stronger and that they had that drive and determination to succeed and actually really go for it.
"I felt really proud of them. I also kind of felt like I witnessed this journey that they'd gone on. There are loads of things that the jungle has provided that you can take back into real life with you. So, I feel like just by watching this show you can actually take home quite a lot for yourself," she explained.
Survivalist and former SAS soldier, Bear Grylls, said he loved the idea of "taking total rookies" on an adrenaline-fueled adventure and seeing "heroes emerge".
"I think a lot of this stuff needs a bit of pressure testing in our lives. If you never confront anything scary in a difficult moment and then you're thrown into it, you can't just expect to be great at it. But, some people do have a more natural ability than others," he said.
Opening up about the unique premise of the show, he said: "I love this thing of taking total rookies - they've never done anything like this before - and as the episodes go on seeing heroes emerge. It's those kinds of qualities of staying calm under pressure, dealing with high intensity and adrenaline, and that anxiety [that will help contestants succeed]... but once you go through those gates, the gloves are off, and it is a different world."
Asked about the brewing tension in the show as the competition intensified, the 51-year-old said: "It's the kind of thing of no pressure, no diamonds."
"I really wanted it to be empowering and for them to conquer the world, and the first step is that you've got to face a few fears," he said.
"It's the kind of thing of 'no pressure, no diamonds'. You know, we're trying to get to the diamonds at the end of it but you've got to start off with a few lumps of coal and pressure testing and see who rises," he added.
You can watch all eight episodes of Celebrity Bear Hunt on Netflix right now.
For more TV news, click here
.svg)