BEAR GRYLLS - BEAR GRYLLS BREAKS SHOULDER AFTER ANTARCTIC FALL

BEAR GRYLLS BREAKS SHOULDER AFTER ANTARCTIC FALL

Television adventurer Bear Grylls has suffered a broken shoulder while taking part in a charitable expedition in Antarctica.

The 34-year-old presenter fell while climbing an ice mountain on a trip to promote the use of alternative energies as bio-fuels.

Details of the accident have not been confirmed but the former SAS soldier is thought to have been airlifted to safety.

The father-of-two will be treated in South Africa - a seven-hour flight away from Antarctica - before returning to the UK, it is believed.

A spokesman for the Channel 4 wild man confirmed Grylls was "in a lot of pain".

"He is calm and collected - but in pain," he was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.

"It is par for the course for the sort of thing that Bear does - this was a dangerous trip."

A statement from the Discovery Channel - for whom Grylls presents the Man vs Wild show - confirmed he had been taking part in an expedition for Ethanol Ventures to promote the potential of alternative energies like bioethanol.

"Bear has a strong religious faith and a loving family to help speed his recovery," the network said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Bear as he makes the long trip back to the UK."

Grylls' programmes - which typically see him stranded in remote areas - attracted controversy last year after it was admitted that some segments had been cleverly edited.

Channel 4 later apologised for misleading audiences and said all future programmes would be "100 per cent transparent", adding: "All elements of the filming will be explained upfront to our viewers."