Gareth goes wild without a
E AR GRYLLS seems to have taken on the role of Michael Parkinson crossed with an Action Man. He takes on some big inter views, all the while leaping out of a helicopter or abseiling off a cliff.
When he whisks celebrities off on these mini adventures, we know that at some point he’ll get them sitting by a camp fire and out will pour all their innermost feelings.
It’s either a great skill or Bear has just worn them down with all the ‘let’s play commandos’ stuff.
England manager Gareth Southgate is no different. As they sit by the fire, Gareth opens up about the lowest point in his life, the penalty miss in the Euro ‘96 finals.
He says he suffered embarrassment and a sense of failure in the aftermath, but it makes his World Cup experience all the more meaningful now as strangers thank him for a great summer.
But of course it’s not all man talk, there’s the action man stuff, too.
The first challenge is to each jump out of either side of the helicopter, with perfect timing and balance to keep it stable.
Then Gareth is challenged to hang on a high wire spanning a rocky gorge, 90 feet in the air, whilst taking instructions from Bear on how to tie a knot in the rope of his emergency back-up line.
And in a test of trust, Gareth attempts a front-facing abseil where he walks forwards, face-first, off a sheer drop.
Thank goodness Bear has a waistcoat gag up his sleeve to break the tension...