Celebrity Bear Hunt cast: who's who guide

A host of famous faces will be on the run in Celebrity Bear Hunt, a new Netflix show in which a bunch of stars are dropped in the Costa Rican jungle.

However this is no holiday retreat and after teaching them some survival skills, master adventurer Bear Grylls will be hunting them down and eliminating from the show one by one.

Host Holly Willoughby will be watching on from the safety of camp, but who will crack under the pressure and who will be declared jungle champion during this eight-part series?

It's been reported that Netflix has spent millions on the project, including a bumper budget to secure top-notch talent, so let's take a look at the famous contestants...

Leomie Anderson

Born in London, Leomie became a model in her early teens and has stepped on the catwalk for a host of big-name designers. In 2021 she launched a podcast Role Model with Leomie Anderson and In 2023, Anderson replaced Maya Jama as presenter of BBC series Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star.

"I decided to take on the challenge of Bear Hunt because I feel like people have this perception of what a model is and what we’re capable of doing," says Leomie. "They think that we care so much about how we look and that we’re not smart. I really want to shatter those stereotypes.

Mel B

Mel B shot to fame in 1996 as a member of era-defining girl group The Spice Girls, when she was known to the world as "Scary Spice".

In recent decades the star has established herself as a television personality and talent show judge, appearing on shows such as The X Factor, America's Got Talent and The Masked Singer Australia.

"I don’t have any expectations because at the end of the day I don’t like to go into things with all the barriers up," says Mel B. "I like to have an open mind. I just want to learn as much as I can and have some fun."

Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas is most famous to UK viewers for her role as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and has been on the panel since 2017. Before her time in the hit BBC show, Ballas and her husband Corky won the Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1995 and 1996.

"I’m certainly going into the unknown not knowing what kind of snakes and spiders and prickly bushes and alligators, and God knows what else is out there. But I like the unknown," says Shirley. "I can remember in 1995, winning the British championships when we didn’t have a chance at all. I was stepping into the unknown there,
and then we ended up winning that. So I’m extremely competitive!"

Boris Becker

The German former tennis world No1 has won three Wimbledon titles — the first of which at the age of just 17 in 1985. Since retiring in the late 1990s he made his name as a TV pundit, however he was sent to jail in 2022 for hiding assets to avoid paying debts. He served eight months of a 30 month sentence.

"I’m one the oldest participants so I’ve had a very intense and at times a very public life," says Boris. "I’ve had unbelievable moments and I’ve had really bad moments. In hindsight I’m glad that I’ve had all these experiences. It makes me humble; it makes me maybe a little bit wiser."

Kola Bokinni

The 32 year-old British actor is most famous for his role in hit Apple TV comedy Ted Lasso, playing Isaac McAdoo, the AFC Richmond centre-back and vice-captain. He's also had roles in Netflix series Top Boy and Black Mirror. He also took part in Celebrity Race Across the World 2024.

"I expect it to be difficult. I expect it to test my patience," says Kola. "I’m a person who likes things quick but I’m going to have to learn that I might sometimes be frustrated a little bit. I don’t want to be lured into a false sense of security so I will always be on my toes! I’m going to try and embrace it all."

Danny Cipriani

Danny is a former rugby player, who played fly-half and full-back. He won 16 international caps for England and played for top teams such as Bath, Wasps and Gloucester.

"The reason behind it for me was learning to live off the land, being able to pick up some new skills from Bear because I’ve seen some of the amazing journeys and experiences he’s been on," says Danny. "He’s developed an unbelievable skill set over the years and Costa Rica - what a beautiful place this is. It’s nice to be here."

Zuhair Hassan (aka Big Zuu)

Big Zuu is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ and television personality from West London. He is best known for presenting Big Zuu's Big Eats for U&Dave.

"I don’t really go on a lot of excursions," says the 29 year-old. "I’m more of a lover of food, as a chef. When I travel, I’m not really looking to do the zipline or a hike, I’m more about the restaurants and stuff so I’m definitely out of my comfort zone. I am an adventurous person though, in that I like doing stuff that I’ve never done before."

Una Healey

The Irish singer rose to fame in 2008 as a member of five-piece girl group The Saturdays. Since the group took a hiatus in 2014, she has appeared on TV shows such as Spalsh! and The Voice Ireland, before launching herself as a solo artist in recent years.

"I'll miss my two children the most when I'm away," says Una. "I'll be thinking about them all the time. And I said to them, when you’re going to sleep, always just close your eyes and think of me and I’ll be thinking of you back."

Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen

The 59 year-old interior designer and TV personality is best known as the presenter of BBC and Channel 4 show, Changing Rooms. More recently he's appeared in shows such as DIY SOS: The Big Build and Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

"I'm quite adventurous," he explains. "Everyone assumes I’m going to be a terrible ponce, but actually then understands that, I am in fact, a lot harder than I look!"

Steph McGovern

Hailing from Middlebrough, Steph has built a career as a well-respected TV presenter and was BBC Breakfast's main business presenter for many years. She has also co-hosted Shop Well For Less, Watchdog and in 2020 she launched her own Channel 4 show Steph's Packed Lunch.

"I wanted to do this because I’ve never done anything like it before," says Steph. "I have a four year old daughter who I want to grow up to be a strong woman, and I think doing something like this will show her that her mum is strong."

Lottie Moss

The 27 year-old is best known for being the younger half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss and became a model herself after being discovered when she was a bridesmaid at her sister's 2011 wedding to Jamie Hince of The Kills.

"I really want to challenge myself actually," she explains. "I’ve been through a lot in the past few years and I just want to do something that I can be proud of and maybe think to myself wow, you took this on and you actually did it. I’m very self-critical and doubtful but if I can prove to myself I can do these sorts of things it will boost my self-esteem.

Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas is most famous for playing Simon Cooper in hit Channel 4 ten comedy The Inbetweeners, before going on to appear in shows such as Fresh Meat and White Gold.

"I was in the cub scouts and I hope the skills I learned there, come into play," he says. "I was going to bring all my own badges from the Cubs. I was going to sew them onto my swimming trunks but I couldn’t find them, which is a good thing because I don’t want the others to be cowed by my Home Help Badge - ‘he’s got a level 3 Home Help Badge! He REALLY helped his mum!’"