Mike Tindall is ready for another extreme challenge. The former England rugby captain – who is currently appearing in The Jump – is competing in Bear Grylls' new survival show, which will see eight celebrities trek deep into a Central American rainforest for a tough 12-day adventure.Mike – married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall, née Phillips – will appear in Bear Grylls’ Mission Survive, alongside acting cousins Emilia Fox and Laurence Fox, Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and TV presenter Jamelia.
Mike Tindall is among the stars taking part in Mission Survive
The line-up is completed by singer Max George, comedy actor Tom Rosenthal and Irish model and presenter Vogue Williams, the wife of former Westlife star Brian McFadden.Mission Survive is described as an "epic 12-day survival mission" in which the celebrity expedition team will be "pushed to their physical and emotional limits".The team will be given daily briefings by Bear, but must complete their missions without him. Bear’s trusted colleagues, survival expert Megan Hines and former commando Scott Heffield, will be on the ground to keep an eye on the celebrities, who will be tested on the "fundamental principles of survival"; shelter, water, fire and food.
Bear Grylls with the Mission Survive celebrities
Bear, 40, will then eliminate one contestant at the end of every episode before crowning the Mission Survivor.Lewis actor Laurence, 36, admitted he was coerced into signing up for the show by his cousin. "As a relatively private person, it's not something that I would ordinarily do," said the star, who is married to Billie Piper. "Whilst having lunch with my cousin Emilia last year, I asked her what she was up to next. "She mentioned Mission Survive. I won't say she forced me, but let's say she gave me almost no option but to accompany her on the trip as she was having butterflies. A phone call was made, and here we are."Silent Witness star Emilia, 40, said that doing the show was a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" to learn about survival from someone "as experienced" as Bear, and Mike, 36, said that despite missing his wife Zara and their daughter Mia, it was "an amazing opportunity and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to take part".
Silent Witness star Emilia Fox convinced her cousin to join her on the survival show
Adventurer Bear said: "This show is all about empowerment, and I am so proud of how the celebrity team who joined me on Mission Survive performed. It was without a doubt a tough expedition, but also a very life-enhancing adventure for everyone involved. "I would set them daily survival missions and would then regularly back away, leaving them to their own devices, so that they would learn by doing it and making mistakes. "That's the source of all genuine growth in a survivor. I was looking for qualities that a survivor in a real-life scenario most needs: positivity, resourcefulness, courage, determination and a whole heap of bloody mindedness!"