Shirtless Bear Grylls emerges from his luxurious Costa Rica lodge

A stony-faced Bear Grylls emerged from his luxury hotel with his face covered in black sand and mud as filming gets underway for his latest £10 million Netflix project – Bear Hunt.

The former SAS trooper and survival expert is currently in Costa Rica along with former This Morning star Holly Willoughby to present the reality competition show that will see celebs go face-to-face in the jungle.

Topless Grylls, 49, who donned navy swimshorts, appeared on the beach front in the Guanacaste province alongside a friend and his son Jesse, 20, after a day prepping for the television show.

The star, who is staying in an ocean-side hotel that can cost up to £531 a night, strolled down the beach before plunging into the Pacific Ocean to wash off the silt that covered his hands, face and chest.

Willoughby, 41, is also thought to be staying at the picturesque hotel, according to locals, as she embarks on her first major presenting gig after quitting This Morning in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal.

Scary Spice Mel B, former tennis pro Boris Becker and Kate Moss’ younger sister Lottie are all rumoured to be taking part in the show, which is set to air next year.

Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas, daytime TV presenter Steph McGovern and rugby legend Danny Cipriani also form part of the cast, alongside model Leomie and rapper Big Zuu.

Grylls was spotted last week paragliding onto a black sand beach while his eldest son Jesse, who is a musician, took a solo skydive above the coast.

The action man was also spotted almost naked on the palm-tree filled beach as he enjoyed the £55 massage on the beach, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Since arriving in Costa Rica at the end of April Grylls had been getting regular rub downs at the beach side parlour after discovering it when scouting locations earlier this year.

‘The massage ladies love him and say he’s a very friendly and down to earth guy,’ a source told the Sun. ‘Bear speaks a bit of Spanish and they know a little English so that’s how they communicate.’

Yet an insider told MailOnline that Bear had stopped his regular massages over fear of being pictured again.

Meanwhile Willoughby, who has not presented since Dancing on Ice in January, appeared relaxed on a beachfront as she walked down the beach in sunglasses, trainers and a band t-shirt.

It is unclear where the other celebrities are staying at presenter, however, Lottie Moss shared a TikTok video of her in a hotel room with a large bag half unpacked.

Earlier this week it was revealed that celebrities starring on the show had been warned over the wildlife dangers posed while they film the show.

Those apeparing on the gruelling adventure show were reportedly told to look out for rabid vampire bats and deadly snakes as they begin filming in the central American countries’ rainforest.

A medical team is also on standby at all times of the day and night to ensure the welfare of the stars on the show.

‘The Bear Hunt is not for the faint hearted and all the celebrities who have signed up know they’re going to be heading into the wild where it’s teeming with animal nasties,’ a source said.

‘As well as snakes like the venomous hog-nosed pit viper and spiders like the black widow and brown recluse, the jungle is also teeming with bats which can spread rabies.

‘Naturally every precaution possible has been put in place by Netflix to ensure the safety of everyone working on the show, from the crew to the celebrities, but it’s a show which isn’t for the faint hearted.’

Last week Mel B, 48, accidentally confirmed she is set to appear on the new Netflix show dropping a huge hint confirming she is joining A-list names on the gruelling endurance show.

She shared a clip last Wednesday capturing herself enjoying a cold bath in a tropical location, which looked like Costa Rica, where the show is being filmed.

The star was seen exiting a wooden bungalow and heading to a frosty pool, where she braved the cold.

After the quick dip, the singer, who flew to Costa Rica at the end of April, was seen quickly running to her towel nearby. She flaunted her incredibly toned figure in a print blue bikini with a bandeau top.

‘Luvvvv the sunnn and my ice baths having the best time but that was HARDDDD might do it again u no I luv my ice baths,’ she captioned the video.

Her appearance follows reports that she was paid a six-figure sum to appear on the show, which will see stars forced to rely on their survival skills to elude master adventurer Grylls.

Mel’s hint comes after it was suggested Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson, 32, won’t be featured on the upcoming series.

A telly source teased the upcoming show, which also stars Kola Bokinnil, Shirley Ballas, Una Healy and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen is ‘set to be a huge hit’ and the streaming giant is ‘ploughing loads of money into it’ with intentions to already plan a second series.