BEAR, whose real name is Rupert, was given his nickname by his parents - Conservative MP Sir Michael Grylls and Lady Sally Grylls - when he was just one day old.

At 23 he became the youngest person to conquer Everest.

He also famously broke his back in three places following a parachute accident while serving in the SAS before the Everest climb, rode a jet ski around the coast of Britain for charity and made an unassisted crossing of the frozen wastes of the North Atlantic in a rigid inflatable boat.

With the SAS he was highly trained in unarmed combat, desert and winter warfare, combat survival and more.

As well as his famous Guinness World of Records entry for Everest he became the youngest British climber to reach the summit of Mount Ama Dablan, Himalaya, in 1997.

In 2002 he was made an ambassador for the Prince's Trust.

In 2005, along with the round the world Sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, he was awarded an honorary commission by the First Sea Lord and Admiralty Board of the Royal Navy, at the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.

Recently he has been on television in his series Born Survivor in which he is parachuted into hostile terrain with nothing but the clothes he is wearing and has to get out.

This has seen him engage in such survival tactics as drinking the liquid from elephant dung.

Grylls says his Christian faith is an important part of his everyday life.

He has written a number of books about his adventures and is also a popular chat show guest.

He is married and when he is not off on an adventure lives with his wife Shara and two young sons, Jesse and Marmaduke, in a houseboat on the Thames.

Name: Bear Grylls OCCUPATION: Adventurer, author and television personality Date of birth: June 7, 1974 Local link: Born on the Isle of Wight