Happy birthday, Bear Grylls! The television personality and outdoor enthusiast turns 41 on June 7, 2016.
An undaunted adventurer, he has found fame through survival series Man vs. Wild. On his current NBC series Running Wild with Bear Grylls, he leads celebrities on extreme wilderness adventures that would cause panic for most people. His secret to remaining cool under pressure? “I start every day on my knees praying by my bed, and that’s my grounding for the day,” he told The Big Issue in 2015.
While his thirst for exploration is apparent, there are things about Grylls unbeknownst by many. Here are 10 fast facts on the British survivalist.
1. His legal name is Edward Michael Grylls. “Bear” was a nickname given to him by his sister shortly after he was born.
2. At 34, he became the youngest Chief Eagle Scout in the history of the program.
3. In 1998, he held the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest, which he conquered at 23.
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4. A year before the climb, he broke his back in three places but made a full recovery in time for the expedition.
5. He has authored 11 books. Most notable is his teenage fiction series titled Mission Survival.
6. He has also partnered with Discovery Channel on the creation and release of the Man Vs. Wild video game, available on Wii, Xbox and PlayStation.
7. He served in the Special Air Service Reserve for three years.
8. He has a black belt in karate.
9. His first TV appearance was in a Sure for Men deodorant commercial, which featured his experiences from the Everest climb.
10. He has three sons; Marmaduke, Jesse and Huckleberry. At just 7 years old, Jesse saved a young girl from drowning in a river. A mini “Bear” in the making, perhaps?
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