Bear Grylls’ interview with Volodymyr Zelensky took a strange turn when he offered the Ukrainian President a bit of chocolate and his security team intervened, checking whether he was trying to poison him. You can see a snippet of the big interview, which airs on Channel 4 this week, in the clip below.
Obviously, it goes without saying that there are those out there who might be interested in poisoning Zelensky, and his security team can never be too careful, but it would be a really bizarre twist if Bear Grylls was the one who did it.
The 48-year-old survival expert recently travelled over to Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s war-time leader, who is something of a survivalist himself it would seem.
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As the pair walked through Kyiv together, they chatted about the war, but when Grylls suggested sharing a bar of chocolate, things turned momentarily sour.
Grylls was appearing on Good Morning Britain to discuss the forthcoming interview, and host Susanna Reid said: "When you say they take nothing for granted, they literally take nothing for granted.
"One of the ways you thought about breaking the ice was to offer him some chocolate, 'Let's just sit on a park bench like two friends and have a bar of chocolate.'"
The security team were quick to jump and refuse, in case the chocolate was poisoned.
Grylls said: “I get it.
"Normally when I've done this before with world leaders, the wild does half my job for me it's a great leveller, it's a great ice-breaker you're out in the mountains."
In another interview with Radio Times, Grylls further explained: “When I offered it to Zelensky, one of his guys stepped in and said he shouldn’t be eating it.
"I said, 'Ok, I’ll go first, to show I’m not out to poison him,' and we all laughed.
“I gave some to the security guys, because everyone likes a little square of Dairy Milk, right?"
Back on GMB, Grylls revealed that Zelensky told him about what keeps him going during the war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, as well as how he and his family – as well as the rest of the nation – have simply had to pause their lives.
Grylls said: “He said, 'Like all of Ukraine we've put everything on hold, our life, our ambitions, our families, our work, our future, our dreams. Everything for one purpose, to defend our country.'
“And there's a power to that and he is very clear, 'I'm doing what everyone else is doing, putting everything aside, we're defending our home.'"
Before the pair’s conversation is released, Grylls shared a picture on Instagram, writing: "This week I had the privilege to travel to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and spend time with President Zelensky.
“It has been an experience for me like no other."
“As the country goes into winter, and with their infrastructure under attack, survival for millions of people is a very real daily struggle.
“Through this special programme the world will see a side of President Zelensky that has never been shown before.
“What I wanted to ask was how he was really coping… I got so much more.
“The programme is coming soon. Thank you @zelenskiy_official for your hospitality in such a difficult time. Stay Strong."
Topics: Bear Grylls, Celebrity, Ukraine, Politics, TV and Film, World News, Food And Drink
Tom Wood