A gloriously non-PC encounter with the action man Bear Grylls

Each night time earlier than mattress — when he is at dwelling together with his household relatively than off within the wild wrestling alligators, or snacking on snakes' brains and deer droppings as a part of his seemingly infinite quest to be TV's hardest exhausting man — Bear Grylls will get down on his knees subsequent to his three younger sons.

'I pray for them every single day,' he says. 'I kneel down on the ground subsequent to their beds. We pray collectively.' All lined up in a row, I ask, just like the well-known American Walton household?

'Nicely, no, not precisely. They lie in mattress and faux to be asleep and I do the exhausting work.'

Subsequent, he'll pray for his spouse Shara.

For some purpose, I might anticipated Bear Grylls to be a loud, alarmingly muscular, annoyingly aggressive, privileged outdated Etonian to whom success got here simply. How beautiful to be so flawed on so many counts

'It is fast and quick: 'Goodnight. Sleep properly. Might God bless you. I really like you. You're the finest.' Bear additionally says grace earlier than each meal. And begins the subsequent day as he ends the one earlier than — 'on my knees'.

'It is a signal of humility,' he explains. 'One thing I aspire to in immediately's world.

'My religion wavers every single day. I get nervous speaking about it. It is private, it is a journey; however it's the glue to my life.'

Within the taut, muscular flesh, he's surprisingly small. Slight, even. Naturally, he is ruggedly good-looking, if ever-so-slightly reptilian-looking: thin-faced like a jockey, his eyes vibrant and intense, his nostril sharp, his lips skinny. And his chat is refreshingly surprising.

We cowl every little thing from his ambassadorship for the evangelistic Christian Alpha Course, to his household, to being the youngest ever Chief Scout, to how immediately's health-and-safety mania is ruining our kids's lives.

Nobody may fault Bear's doggedness or willpower. Aged 23, he turned the youngest individual on this planet to climb Everest

He tells me how he proposed bare on a seashore (however not with an engagement ring hidden in his clenched buttocks, as has been reported); how the loss of life of his father Michael (a Commando who turned a Tory MP) was the catalyst for all his derring-do and the way he was picked on at Eton.

We preserve that means to debate the Bear Grylls New Impediment Zone — a type of rope-based, monkey-barred, He-Man circuit based mostly on his personal extremely rigorous coaching periods — which is being rolled out throughout the nation this yr which explains we're in a trampolining warehouse in a enterprise park on the outskirts of Manchester.

However we preserve getting distracted. Proper now, by the subject of training.

'Faculty is a microcosm the place the heroes are handsome, sporty or intelligent, and if you happen to're not a type of, you do not really feel profitable,' he says. 'But it surely does not matter.

'I wasn't sensible at something. I wasn't very intelligent. I wasn't very sporty. I used to be bullied a bit. On the time, you assume it actually issues, however it wasn't a catastrophe.'

The actual catastrophe, he claims, is reserved for these for whom faculty represents the halcyon years — the most effective it will get.

'In on a regular basis life, nobody cares if you happen to're handsome or good at soccer — until you play for England or no matter.'

For the remainder of us, he says, the necessary factor is to search out one thing you actually love — in his case, mountaineering (he arrange the Eton mountaineering membership) — being sort to folks and doing all your finest, as a result of, he says, all of the rewards in life go to 'the dogged and decided'.

'I do know it is old school however the Scouts had it proper with their dyb dyb dyb-ing [do your best].'

Nobody may fault Bear's doggedness or willpower. Aged 23, he turned the youngest individual on this planet to climb Everest — and this simply 18 months after crushing three vertebrae in an Military parachuting accident in Zambia and being informed he would possibly by no means stroll once more. Two years after conquering Everest, he was circumnavigating the British Isles on jet skis and rowing bare in a bath alongside the Thames for charity. He does so much for charity, and is known for getting bare at any alternative.

'I am not bare a lot today,' he says. 'If we're crusing as a household, I am going to swim bare each morning with the boys, however I am probably not into gratuitous nudity.'

He takes his youngsters mountain climbing and gully swimming and caving and abseiling, and, extra lately, wakeboarding, which is impossibly troublesome

Subsequent got here a North Atlantic crossing by way of icebergs and Power-Eight winds in an 11-ft inflatable dinghy; then the world's highest banquet — in a scorching air balloon, with black tie and oxygen masks; a number of mountaineering and a controversial flight over Everest in a motorised paraglider, risking temperatures of minus 60c and dangerously low oxygen ranges. And, in fact, his epic survival TV exhibits and accompanying books, together with Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Bear's Wild Weekend and Operating Wild with Bear Grylls, that includes star friends who included Barack Obama and Kate Winslet.

All confirmed how powerful and manly he was. How he may survive on juice squeezed from elephant dung. And, in fact, how he may cheat loss of life again and again.

'I suppose there have in all probability been a great 20 real near-death experiences,' he says cheerily. 'And an entire bunch of near-ish ones.'

And when he comes dwelling secure and sound (if a bit bruised), does he give Shara, his spouse of practically 17 years, all of the gory particulars?

'Not a lot — I simply type of transfer on and overlook about them,' he says. 'However there are fewer now. I am solely 60 laptop reckless today. I was 100 laptop reckless.'

When he is at dwelling (a houseboat on the Thames, an island off the North Wales coast and, in winter, a luxurious chalet within the Alps), he is a hands-on dad to their three sons, Jesse, 13, Marmaduke, 10, and Huckleberry, seven — however very a lot on his phrases. 'Going to smooth play areas? That might be my thought of Hell, and so they know that.' As a substitute, he lets them play together with his 'toys'. 'I am going to get them to assist re-pack a mouldy paraglider, or assist put the roof rack on, or refuel the boat and kind out my ropes. And so they at all times assist me pack for journeys — taking part in with the fire-starter within the nook as I pack.'

He reels on the warning of some dad and mom and launches with disbelief right into a story about some household mates who would not let their son go snowboarding in case he broke his wrist earlier than his Frequent Entrance examination.

'I imply whaaaat?? In case you attempt to strip danger out of children' lives, you are doing them a complete disservice.'

Chez Grylls, it's kind of totally different.

'I am going to say: 'Proper boys, we will do x, y and z. It should be extremely harmful however it is going to be tremendous enjoyable and we'll do it collectively, and we'll have a couple of scrapes however we'll all come again.'

He takes them mountain climbing and gully swimming and caving and abseiling, and, extra lately, wakeboarding, which is impossibly troublesome. 'My son Huckleberry will strive something and we'll each get a bit harm,' he beams.

And do the boys ever say: 'Sufficient Dad! Let's go and watch some telly.' 'Sure. They do generally say, 'Dad, that is actually silly'.'

And his spouse? I think she would possibly generally really feel she has 4 sons. Although presumably she knew what she was entering into, on condition that when she met him one New Yr within the Scottish Highlands, he was bare (once more) within the sea, fishing round for a floating sock.

He glows when he talks about Shara. 'She's sort, she's fantastic, she's affected person.'

She'd should be. Apparently she's happiest all cosy and heat, flicking by way of interiors magazines at dwelling in entrance of the hearth, however has to spend 'hours, days, weeks' ready beside mountains' and attempting to not watch whereas he and (usually now) his sons soar off issues.

She additionally has no truck with fame.

Bear says: 'I used to get mega excited once I got here again from a shoot, all 'you will not imagine it, so Obama did this and a few Hollywood star did that' and, properly… I've discovered to mood it now as a result of until it is a actually good story, it seems she's probably not listening.'

However he adores her, and adores being married. 'It is the one factor I've actually acquired proper in my life. The extra work I do, the extra I earn, the extra I realise the one actual wealth we've got in our lives comes from relationships.'

Bear's an important believer within the worth of each day kindnesses over grand gestures — 'Although I usually attempt to rescue conditions with grand gestures.'

Like all married couple, they bicker. Flashpoints certainly embrace the time he left their son, Jesse, on a rock in hostile circumstances within the sea off North Wales, in order that the native RNLI may practise rescuing him; and the odd dispute over cash — not that there is any scarcity of it.

'I waste a LOT of cash on toys. I'd purchase a brand new jet ski for the island. Or one other boat. And Shara's at all times occurring about all my paragliders.'

What number of? 'Ten. Perhaps extra. And I've simply purchased a brand new one. It weighs one kilogram and is wafer-thin. It is superb.'

The everlasting health factor should get a bit carrying, too. And the nutritious diet! There's certainly solely a lot quinoa and kale power-shakes anybody can abdomen.

Whereas he tries to eat healthily, Bear does not actually prefer it. He far prefers burgers, sticky toffee pudding and the in-flight meals served within the BA First Class Cabin as he jets off on new adventures.

'I simply adore it. I can not cease consuming it,' he confesses sheepishly, earlier than including: 'Now, I need to present you spherical this impediment course or we'll each get into bother'. After which he scuttles off up a rope and throughout some bars like a wiry little monkey.

For some purpose, I might anticipated Bear Grylls to be a loud, alarmingly muscular, annoyingly aggressive, privileged outdated Etonian to whom success got here simply. How beautiful to be so flawed on so many counts.

• New Impediment Coaching Zone designed completely by Bear, based mostly on his personal coaching. Websites rolling out nationally by way of 2017 at http://beargryllsfitness.com/

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