Holly Willoughby is set to launch new challenge series Celebrity Bear Hunt alongside Bear Grylls in the unforgiving Costa Rican jungle – a far cry from her days squealing at spiders as I'm A Celebrity's stand-in host.

The TV presenter quit her 14-year role fronting This Morning over a year ago after discovering she had been the target of a kidnap plot, and although she has remained as host of Dancing On Ice, the Netflix reality show marks her first big project since taking a screen break.

Viewers who watched her jumpy time as Ant McPartlin's replacement alongside Declan Donnelly in Australia for 2018's I'm A Celebrity might be confused as to why she wanted to set foot back in a jungle after clearly being terrified by the creatures and critters she encountered. But it's a different Willoughby who makes her way into the wild seven years on, as she explained ahead of the series launch.

Although Willoughby is a little more used to what the jungle has to throw at her than she was back in 2018, she admitted it still took a superhuman effort at times to find her inner bravery.

She said: "Costa Rica is incredibly wild, and everything is supersized. The trees are huge, the bugs are the size of birds, and the birds are the size of pterodactyls."

However, the ace up her sleeve this time was that her co-star was survivalist and explorer Bear Grylls, who was full of handy tips on how to feel the fear and do it anyway. "There were a few moments on this show where I had to dig deep and have a strong word with myself," she shared.

"At those times it was good to have someone like Bear Grylls next to you saying, being brave is about using that fear, harnessing it and doing it anyway. Those words really get in your head and help you, he has definitely given me some transferable skills and being in nature allows you to put your thinking down for a bit and be present."

Celebrity Bear Hunt might be the sort of light-hearted entertainment show that Willoughby excels at, but behind the gloss of TV stardom, she had been through a genuinely terrifying time in her personal life recently.

When she quit This Morning in October 2023, viewers were told that she simply wanted to spend more time with her family, which includes her three children Harry, Belle and Chester. But details emerged of a kidnap plot that she had been the target of, something that clearly shocked the star.

Gavin Plumb was found guilty of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap, after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court last summer. He was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 16 years.

Willoughby opened up to the Sunday Times Style magazine, saying: "It's been a tough one. There's no way of sugar-coating it."

"When something like that happens, you have a decision to make," she added. "You can either decide, right, I can take this on board and it can absolutely affect all aspects of my life, or I can make a choice to go, let's focus on everything that's positive and good, all those important things."

She's made no secret of being scared of the sorts of situations the Celebrity Bear Hunt contestants will have to face, but Willoughby has said she was keen to set herself a new challenge.

"I knew it was going to be the ultimate adventure, and I just wanted something that really took me out of my comfort zone," she said. "I think that it’s important to challenge yourself as you get older, you should always push yourself to try new things."

The job also had the added bonus of featuring Grylls, who is a superstar to her children. Willoughby said: "I am so excited to be working with Bear, and so are my kids. They are massive fans and watch him a lot on You vs. Wild. Before we went into filming, Bear and I met to talk about the show, just spending a bit of time with him I was really inspired. This is his passion and his absolute love; he lives, eats, and breathes it. It’s incredible to be around."

Despite pushing herself with the show, the star admitted that she and Grylls did not have the same approach to time spent outdoors. Asked whether she was outdoorsy, she said: "Well, if by outdoorsy you mean taking the dog for a walk, ending up at a pub, and having a Sunday roast, then yes, I’m really outdoorsy.

"Bear and I really are poles apart. I like being outdoors a lot, but I don’t do it enough. When I got this role, I thought, just say yes and see what happens. Being in Costa Rica really does throw you in at the deep end. It’s a beautiful country and the wildlife is truly wild! I think anyone who saw me in I’m A Celebrity knows I’m not great with bugs and I’m not sure I’ve gotten any better… Luckily, I had Bear Grylls on speed dial!"

Celebrity Bear Hunt sees an all-star cast learn survival techniques from Grylls but they will then have to put them to use as he "hunts" them through the jungle in a series of daring challenges.

The contestants include Mel B, Steph McGovern, Joe Thomas, Shirley Ballas, Danny Cipriani, Boris Becker, Leomie Anderson, Lottie Moss, Big Zuu, Una Healy, Kola Bokinni and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

Willoughby tipped the female contestants to win, saying: "The girls are super tough. I think Lottie will be great, she’s a beautiful girl who is made of tough stuff and I think she’s often underestimated. Mel B is an actual Spice Girl so she’s obviously going to be incredible, and Shirley is a super strong woman, who got to the top of her industry, she also has experience and life lessons on her side, giving her an advantage. So, I’ve got my money on the girls."

She added of the show: "It’s got that magic where everyone will find something they love. Having kids at different ages makes it quite hard to find something to watch all together. Celebrity Bear Hunt has got the action and adventure that my boys will love, but also the reality, relationships, and dynamics that Belle and I are going to love watching together."

"I love the idea that inside all of us might just be our inner Bear Grylls waiting to be released," she said.