Bear Grylls' bizarre friendship with Russell Brand after River Thames baptism

Bear Grylls met Russell Brand portion filming Running Wild With Bear Grylls and successful May 2024 helium was pictured hugging the comedian aft helium got baptised successful the River Thames

Bear Grylls is known for his endurance expertise and implicit the years helium has taken a full big of celebrated faces connected outdoor adventures.

Bear antecedently travelled crossed the Hebrides Islands with Russell Brand for the bid Running Wild With Bear Grylls, which aired successful August 2023. It was present that the brace appeared to person struck up a companionship and during 1 moment, the brace spoke astir religion with Brand admitting that he’d felt disconnected from a “higher intent oregon God”.

“When you halt drinking and halt taking drugs, you’re confronted with the quality of the problem,” said Brand during the show. “I was a disconnected person, surely from immoderate consciousness of higher intent oregon God.”

Just nether a twelvemonth later, Brand shared a representation of himself hugging Bear and different antheral aft getting baptised successful the stream Thames successful May 2024. Sharing the photograph connected X and Instagram, Brand wrote: “Me, Bear Grylls, The River Thames and of course, The Holy Spirit.”

The astonishment station came soon aft Brand said that helium was feeling transformed aft being baptised and welcomed into Christianity. In a video statement, helium told viewers that helium was adjusting to his caller spiritual mode of beingness and added that helium expected to marque ‘mistakes’.

He said: “As a idiosyncratic that has, successful the past, taken many, galore substances, and ever been disappointed with their inability to present the benignant of tranquillity and bid and adjacent transcendence that I ever felt I’ve been looking for.

“Something occurred successful the process of baptism that was incredible. Overwhelming. Literally overwhelming due to the fact that I was nether water. And it was the River Thames, astatine immoderate points. So I felt changed. Transitioned.”

He besides asked others to springiness him immoderate patience. “This is caller for me. I americium learning. And I volition marque mistakes. This is my way now. And I already consciousness incredibly blessed, relieved, nourished, held. It’s been an unthinkable experience,” helium continued.

Brand's conversion to Christianity was announced months aft a associated probe by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times successful September 2023 saw aggregate women measurement guardant to impeach Brand of intersexual assault. The Metropolitan Police aboriginal confirmed they were investigating allegations astir the comedian and helium was aboriginal questioned. Brand has ever denied the allegations made against him.

In January 2025, Bear spoke astir Brand’s conversion to Christianity and shared that helium believed it to beryllium genuine. “I didn’t baptise. I ne'er justice and helium was a person done [appearing on] Running Wild, and he’s had a existent travel successful his life,” helium told The Telegraph.

“You cognize what, whoever it is, you can’t lone basal beside radical who person had cleanable journeys. It was for him a existent infinitesimal of humility and repentance and genuine heart-felt uncovering of rather a religion successful his life.”

He added: “People accidental to me, ‘What astir the victims?’, if they’re victims. And I go, ‘Of people I basal beside everybody. We are called to emotion everybody and not to justice anyone’.”