Bear Grylls ‘shaken’ as team member Joshua Valentine dies aged 37 following accident

Bear Grylls has shared his heartbreak following the death of team member and adventurer Joshua Valentine, who has died aged 37.

The Running Wild star posted a tribute to the mountaineer and survival guide on Monday, with local press reporting Valentine died after being involved in a motorbike accident on Friday, March 26 in New Jersey.

According to local reports he was thrown from his Harley Davidson on Route 46 east of Knowlton, after colliding with a car.

Sharing a series of images of Valentine – who was one of the founding members of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy – to his Instagram, Bear added Valentine’s ‘example of how to live will be with us forever’ in a heartbreaking tribute.

He wrote: ‘This last week has been really hard for many of our team, coming to terms with the truly tragic loss of one of our core safety crew.

‘@joshua.s.valentine was killed in an accident that has shook us all.

‘He was one of those genuine one in a million. Strong as a lion, dependable, kind to everyone, humble, super skilled, and loyal to the end.’

Bear went on: ‘Josh was one of our founding instructors at our @beargryllssurvivalacademy and went on to help run a lot of the mountain safety for our crew on so many of our American @natgeotv Running Wild adventures.

‘A true friend to many. He will never be forgotten.

‘And his example of how to live, will be with us for ever. We are all heart broken. 💔 #RIP my friend – forever in our hearts.’

Paul ‘Mungo’ Mungeam – also known as ‘Mungo the Cameraman, and who worked with Bear – shared in the comments: ‘Very well said mate. Our world was a better place because @joshua.s.valentine lived beside us. 😢’

Boxer and Strictly Come Dancing star Nicola Adams added: ‘Well said,’ as many other followers shared their consolences.

Megan Hine, who worked alongside Bear as a survival consultant, shared her own tribute to Valentine, writing on Instagram: ‘”What would we ever learn about ourselves were it not for the willingness to seek and explore all the unknown around us? Only challenge breeds growth. Only struggle breeds strength.

‘”The greatest obstacle lies within. Focus each day on conquering the world within your mind and the one around you will begin to navigate itself.

‘”And do some wild sh*t along the way…” Words of Josh Valentine.

‘Thank you for making me laugh at the most inappropriate moments till coffee came out of my nose. Thank you for your hand on my shoulder steadying me when battling the patriarchy. Thank you for holding my life in your hands on so many occasions I’ve lost count. Thank you for the hours & hours of loooong, deep conversations interspersed with howls of laughter. Thanks for jumping into crocodile infested waters with me.

‘You’re my zombie apocalypse team mate now and forever. RIP you wonderful human being. You’ll be achingly missed by so many but I have every faith we’ll be scaling walls & dodging crocodiles once again… #embracetheanimal.’

The New Jersey Herald reported Valentine is survived by two brothers, and his mother and father.