Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's wife issues warning to him after near-death experience during Netflix filming

Daily Mirror

5 days ago

The Changing Rooms star suffered a terrifying experience where he almost drowned while filming Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's wife has warned she doesn't want him taking part in any more stunts after his near-fatal experience while filming Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt.
‌
The Changing Rooms icon, 59, joined the likes of Lottie Moss, Mel B and Boris Becker on Bear Grylls' reality series, which he hosted alongside former This Morning star Holly Willoughby.
‌
The celebrities took part in a series of tasks in the Central American jungle, where they were 'prey for one of the world 's most fearsome predators'.
‌
But things didn't always go as planned, with Steph McGovern being rushed to medics after nearly breaking her nose and sparking concussion fears after she swung into a cliff, while Laurence almost drowned in the sea, with Bear diving in to save him.
Recalling the terrifying moment, the TV star called it a 'close shave' and 'a very frightening experience'.
In an interview with Hello! he recalled not being able to breathe and almost passing out, jokingly adding: "In my head I was James Bond, but the sad fact is that I'm actually more like Grandpa Pig."
‌
After a tearful phone call with his wife Jackie, she emotionally shared: 'When you go through something like that, it's almost like PTSD, and the thinking back is probably more upsetting than going through it in the first place."
"He doesn't like being in the sea; he doesn't like being out of his depth," she added, saying it was 'one of his nine lives'.
‌
"I don't want him doing anything like that again. And you know, you really don't need to, because you're Grandpa Pig these days," she said.
When the Netflix series aired, Laurence could be seen and heard groaning and struggling in the water during the challenge, as he struggled to unclip supply bags from a raft and became tangled up in equipment.
‌
'I kept throwing myself at the raft, trying to get up. It just wasn't that easy,' he said.
'Suddenly, I am in some high of fight or flight.'
Presenter Holly Willoughby looked on from the shore as concern mounted, while Bear threw himself into the water as Laurence could be heard shouting for help and saying: 'I can't breathe.'
‌
After a terrifying moment, he was dragged to shore by production crew coming to rescue him.
When he was able to gain his breath on the beach, Laurence explained he felt 'really tight across my chest' and couldn't 'get enough oxygen'.
‌
He was given an oxygen mask and urged to lie down in the shade by medics.
'I couldn't breathe, it really was frightening,' he later said. 'I really did think I was having a heart attack.'
He later echoed to Times Radio: 'It wasn't a pleasant experience at all. I mean, it really, really wasn't. I was blacking out. I thought I was having a heart attack. And having then been pumped full of, I think it's about three canisters of oxygen, which is wonderful stuff by the way…but it was a very solitary thing.'
He added: 'I always felt that I was quite physically resilient. I have regular medicals. I'm perceived as being reasonably fit for what I am but it did feel slightly like a moment of failure.'