He faced a near-death experience on the set of hit Netflix show Celebrity Bear Hunt as he began to drown during a terrifying raft exercise.
And now Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has described encountering Holly Willoughby after the ordeal had finished as like being greeted by ‘the angel of death’.
It might have been survival expert Bear Grylls who dived into the ocean to save the TV personality with seconds to spare, but Laurence, 59, remembers most fondly the moment he snapped back into consciousness and saw host Holly.
The interior designer, who has partnered with the Ideal Home Show, told MailOnline: ‘I blacked out a couple of times and I was a very worrying colour at various points. I fought myself very hard from thinking, “oh my God, I’m having a heart attack”.
‘It was an amazing experience, suddenly seeing how the entire beach became mobilised. I mean it was like Baywatch. There were all sorts of clever people in skimpy red swimming trunks running towards me and red bikinis and stuff like that. It must have looked as if I was doing it for the attention.
‘There was one point where I did slide out of consciousness and came back quite quickly and there was Holly Willoughby standing in front of me, backlit in the most angelic beatific way. Very easy to see her as Azrael the angel of death.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen faced a near-death experience on the set of hit Netflix show Celebrity Bear Hunt as he began to drown during a terrifying raft exercise
He has described encountering Holly Willoughby after the ordeal had finished as like being greeted by ‘the angel of death’
It might have been Bear Grylls who dived into the ocean to save him with seconds to spare, but Laurence remembers snapping back into consciousness and seeing host Holly most fondly
‘If the angel of death looks anything like Holly Willoughby, I think there’s nothing to fear for going through to the other side.’
Taking part in a challenge with Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni, 32, which involved him having to climb onto a raft, Laurence soon began struggling and became stuck underwater for several heart-stopping moments.
The show’s lead antagonist Bear then leapt from his boat into the ocean to drag the TV star to safety, leaving him in the capable hands of the extensive support team and Holly, 44, on the Costa Rican shore.
But Laurence did not particularly enjoy the experience of being rescued by the British adventurer, 50, though he accepts that many would gladly accept the opportunity.
‘I do not want that wet, semi-naked, old Etonian bearing down on me ever again,’ he said. ‘It was like being kissed by a wet bag of spanners. It still haunts my dreams.
‘I am grateful because I survived and I’m sure there’s several 100,000 people out there that would give their husband’s right arm for the experience, but, lovely though he was, it was a little bit too intimate for me. I would have preferred a stout handshake.’
This was not the Changing Rooms star’s only close-quarters encounter with Bear over the course of the show, twice being caught by the explorer in the dreaded Bear Pit, eventually leading to his eviction in the fourth episode.
Laurence added: ‘As for his capture techniques where he’d sneak up behind me and next thing I knew I had b****y cable ties on my thumbs…normally you’d buy me a drink first at least.
Taking part in a challenge which involved him having to climb onto a raft, the interior designer soon began struggling and became stuck underwater
The show’s lead antagonist Bear then leapt from his boat into the ocean to drag the TV star to safety, leaving him in the capable hands of the extensive support team
But Laurence did not particularly enjoy the experience of being rescued by the British adventurer, 50, though he accepts that many would gladly accept the opportunity
‘That was funny because he did actually catch me first and he got me and then the cameras went off and he said, “oh, hi, I haven’t seen you since Christmas, family well?” And then walked off.
‘It was just like, “oh my God, that is the most middle class capture I think there has ever, ever been”.’
Rapper Big Zuu, 29, ended up winning the whole thing – all while cooking every meal for the camp – beating Kola, model Lottie Moss, singer Una Healy and journalist Steph McGovern in a hard-fought final.
Laurence described Kate Moss’ half-sister, 27, as a ‘really, really nice girl’ after they struck up an unlikely friendship over the course of the popular series.
He said: ‘She’s been on shows before, where she’s been prodded by producers to open up as much as possible.
‘Yes, there were a lot of her demons coming out over the dinner table…[but]…there was a real sense of resolution beginning to creep in, being with older celebrities as well, with a real sort of family dynamic.’
On actor Kola, Laurence added: ‘I’ve never spent time with someone who uses so few words.
‘He’s so taciturn that sometimes maybe his reactions look as if he’s being sort of distant or standoffish or not engaged.
He described Kate Moss’s half-sister Lottie (pictured, on the show) as a ‘really, really nice girl’ after they struck up an unlikely friendship over the course of the popular series
On actor Kola Bokinni, Laurence added: ‘I think the thing with Kola is that he’s one of these people… I’ve never spent time with someone who uses so few words’
‘But that’s just the way he is, there’s a kind of a slow wisdom sometimes behind him. I really enjoyed him. He was the only one that I was totally starstruck to meet, having become such a Ted Lasso fan.’
Laurence returns once again to the Ideal Home Show, which lands at Olympia Events in west London on March 21, where he will show off his Home Of Your Future and celebrate 25 years of his Brand LLB.
‘Aside from the thrill of seeing myself on the side of a bus, which is obviously something I live for, I wanted this to be a definitive year,’ he said. ‘This year with my Home of Your Future concept I wanted to create a space that reflected the fact we’re all living in smaller spaces than we used to, that there are things you can do to make that easier.
‘But to also very much peg it to this idea of an ageing population and an ageing population that I think are very, very averse to the idea of being bullied into beige just for the hell of it.’
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be appearing at the Ideal Home Show, on hand to offer lots of top tips, live Q&As and demonstrations throughout the 17-day event at Kensington Olympia. Laurence’s fun insights can all be learned about at this year’s Ideal Home Show. https://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/
