The pair have teamed up to present a new Netflix show, but the Dancing On Ice star was left rather surprised by the adventurer’s comments to her on the red carpet

Holly Willoughby appeared to be modestly taken aback by the compliments from Bear Grylls after their collaboration on Celebrity Bear Hunt.

The Dancing On Ice host took the helm for Bear’s latest Netflix venture, where a dozen celebrities attempt to elude the survival expert in the wilds of Costa Rica.

At the show’s glitzy red carpet premiere, the explorer lauded Holly: “Holly’s such a key part of this, not only for them, but also for me. You were a light and love and empathy to all of these people, you were the yin to my yang.”

Holly, feeling slightly self-conscious, responded: “Thank you, this is slightly embarrassing.”

Bear continued his accolades, remarking that Holly “carried” him through the promotional interviews, as reported by Closer Magazine.

He expressed: “Holly was a dream. I’ve never really worked with anyone else like that before. She’s just gentle, heart-led. She was nervous. She was in at the deep end.”

Bear called Holly “the yin to my yang” (Image: Ray Burmiston/Netflix/PA Wire)
Holly, who previously hosted This Morning, returned the admiration, calling the adventurer “inspiring” and credited him with encouraging the celebrities to be “so brave”.

“Bear can get anybody to do anything. You’re very inspiring,” she said. “There were a few moments on this show where I had to dig deep and have a strong word with myself.

“At those times, it was good to have someone like Bear next to you saying that being brave is about using that fear, harnessing it and doing it anyway.”

Holly not only hosted the show, but also bravely participated in one of Bear’s fear-inducing challenges when he called her out to do so, reports the Mirror.

Initially hesitant, she overcame her trepidation and leapt from a cliff into the waters below.

Remarkably, the presenter is said to have earned an eye-watering £1m for her role in the show, in spite of appearing on screen for a limited time.

Holly also took part in one of the show’s daring challenges (Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
A television insider confided to Mail Online: “Viewers will be surprised just how little she features in the final version of the programme given all the attention there’s been surrounding the show.

“Holly is a huge talent and very popular with viewers, plus she has decades of experience of presenting big TV shows, particularly live TV which requires a level of excellence few presenters have.”

However, they noted that in the completed production of Celebrity Bear Hunt, Holly was overshadowed by Bear himself and even received less screen time than the show’s other competitors.

“In the final edit of Celebrity Bear Hunt, she plays second fiddle to leading man Bear, and even gets less screen time than the dozen celebrities who are competing,” they added.