Bear Grylls has tearfully admitted he regrets not thanking his late father for giving him a love of the outdoors during his childhood.
The adventurer, 48, fought back tears as he spoke on stage at Hay Festival about his relationship with his father Sir Michael Grylls, who died in February 2001.
Bear told how one of his biggest biggest regrets in his life is not thanking his late father for giving him a love of the outdoors that went on to launch his career.
He explained how his father brought him up as a fan of the wilderness with boys-own adventures that would catapult him into a life as an SAS soldier, conquer Everest and become a world famous TV star who has written some 80 books.
Fighting back tears, Bear said: ‘I don’t know – I wish I could have (said to him). I never really articulated to my dad before he died and I wish now I had done.
Emotional: Bear Grylls has tearfully admitted he regrets not thanking his late father for giving him a love of the outdoors during his childhood
‘Just to say thank you to him more than anything. Because really it was the best gift he gave me as a dad. Because I was never brilliant at school and the reports were never great.
‘But he only cared about “Are you being kind and are you doing your best, and are you having that never give up spirit, that muscle inside which says keep going keep going?”.’
As a picture of him as a child with his father Sir Michael flashed up on screen behind him, Bear spoke of his regret not having that all-important heart-to-heart.
He looked back on the quality time he spent with his father going climbing together, saying they formed a close ‘connection’ through their love of the outdoors.
Bear also told how Sir Michael’s death came not long after his Everest climb, adding: ‘My dad died not long after I eventually got to climb Everest all those years later. And I see it so much clearer now that what he was teaching me was way beyond climbing.
‘He was teaching me to grab life and go for things. That bad weather is okay. That if you are with the right people, you are always going to get home and you’ll feel a million dollars, that it will light you up and you’ll go to bed proud that you came through that.’
Bear said he has passed on the valuable lessons his father taught him to his own sons Jesse, 19, Marmaduke, 17, and Huckleberry, 14, who he shares with wife Shara.
He said: ‘And dad was right. I have three young boys of my own now – well they are not quite so young, they’re teenagers.
Looking back: As a picture of him as a child with his father Sir Michael flashed up on screen behind him, Bear spoke of his regret not having that all-important heart-to-heart
Tearful: The adventurer, 48, fought back tears as he spoke on stage at Hay Festival about his relationship with his father Sir Michael Grylls, who died in February 2001
‘And when they hear me saying “Never gave up” they go “Oh that’s all you bang on about”. But you know I never apologise about that.
‘They hear me saying it every day as they go off to school and it is their most valuable weapon.
‘And everyone here knows what I am on about because we all go through battles and it’s about having that dogged attitude at key times. But it starts from right back there.’
He also unusually spoke about his relationship with his three sons, adding: ‘The big message always for me with our three boys is that if you are going to achieve anything in your life, fear and failure are going to become your best friends.
‘You have to learn how to deal with them. Go out there and fail 20 times, then let’s talk about that goal because you’ll be getting close by then. There are no shortcuts.
‘You’re going to get knocked down, you’re going to get hit hard. You have to get back up against the storm and you’ve got to keep moving forward.’
Thankful: He explained how his father brought him up as a fan of the wilderness with boys-own adventures that would catapult him into a life as an SAS soldier and become a TV star
Fatherhood: Bear said he has passed on the valuable lessons his father taught him to his sons Jesse, 19, Marmaduke, 17, and Huckleberry, 14, who he shares with wife Shara (pictured in 2011)
‘I now treat those (fears and failures) as signals. Markers that we are on the right track,’ he added.
‘Not red flags but green flags. Flags that we are doing something right. If I’m never scared and I’m never failing, I’m aiming too low.’
Bear also revealed his very bizarre practice of walking his dogs in bare feet every day to build resilience.
He said: ‘Every morning I’ve started walking the dogs and I try and go in bare feet. Early in the mornings I get out there – sun on my face. Feel the dew between my toes. Just simple things. Nature – it heals us.’
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