He’s one of the most recognised faces of survival and adventure, but the former SAS soldier is tackling his biggest challenge yet. His recently launched app aims to open conversations and improve men’s mental health. And it couldn’t come soon enough.

For a seemingly fearless adventurer and former SAS soldier tough enough to survive a back-breaking parachute accident and then climb Mount Everest just 18 months later, Bear Grylls OBE is surprisingly candid about his emotions.

“The last time that I cried? Last night watching the Bradley Cooper movie, Maestro,” he offers. “I cry a lot, and I cry more as I’ve gotten older.” 

In fact, Grylls, who turns 50 next month, says crying is cathartic and every man should do it. “If men weren’t designed to cry, we wouldn’t have tear ducts. Nature and the good Lord don’t give us many things that don’t have a purpose. We have tear ducts, so we are meant to cry,” he proclaims.

Grylls, it turns out, is a pretty big advocate of letting it all out. “You’ve got to let emotions flow. If you don’t, they build up. Nature tells us this. If you dam a river, the water builds up, it gets stagnant and eventually it bursts its banks and causes damage and destruction. You have to let emotions flow, and tears are a big part of it.”

He recounts that on the first date with his wife of 24 years, Shara, they went to watch Titanic, which left him a blubbering wreck. “Not a lot has changed,” he shrugs. “You have to wear your heart on your sleeve. There is a time to stand up and be fearless and relentless, and then there’s a time to be vulnerable.”

Grylls is talking about emotions because he is a man on a mission. Having conquered the world’s highest peak, trekked Antarctica, rowed the Atlantic and paddled down the Thames naked in a bathtub, he is now tackling his biggest challenge yet: the male mental health crisis.

The British adventurer, author and motivational speaker is co-founder of Mettle, a new mental fitness app developed especially for men. With input from Imperial College London and high-profile UK government ambassador for youth mental health, Dr Alex George, Mettle is backed with $4.7 million seed funding by angel investors and aims to address a significant gap in the market for wellness apps for men. It provides a mental health toolkit, giving users assistance with meditation, mind-hacking breathwork and hypnosis.

“Looking after mental health should be like going to the gym and doing your best to be fit and healthy,” says Grylls. “You have to put your health on the front foot, so you are not always having to visit doctors. It’s about building resilience and pre-empting problems.”

The app and Grylls’s involvement is timely. Men are not doing so well across the globe, including here in Australia. They’re more likely than women to drink alone or take recreational drugs to relax when feeling worried or down. And it’s definitely no secret they’re more resistant to asking for help.

In fact, one 2020 study that was commissioned by the Australian government, called Ten to Men, found up to 25 per cent of men experience a diagnosed mental health disorder in their lifetime, and 15 per cent experience a disorder in any 12-month period. Despite that, only a quarter said they’d seek help from a mental health professional if they were experiencing personal or emotional problems. 

Worse still, it’s costing lives. Three quarters of all deaths by suicide are men, according to our Bureau of Statistics, which is three times more than the rate for women. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for our blokes aged 15 to 45, though those aged 45 to 49 have the highest suicide death rate of any age under 80. Our ambulances respond to almost 17,000 calls each year from males experiencing suicidal ideation. Calling it a crisis is an understatement.

“We are under pressure like never before,” affirms Grylls. “Men are still often the breadwinners; they are trying to do their best as husbands, partners and fathers. There is the cost-of-living crisis, there is concern about the climate, there is more anxiety and more change and more pressure than ever before. Social media adds to that, too, because now you must be perfect.

“All these aspects are surmountable on their own, but they stack up. Humans are adaptable, but we have never been under so much pressure. Everything changes so fast, and the pace of that change is like a tsunami.”

Grylls and Shara have three sons, aged 14, 17 and 20. He worries about the pressures they face, particularly as social media plays such an important role in our lives nowadays.

“We never had any of this stuff growing up; we had room to make mistakes and room to fail. Kids today don’t have that luxury. We try to keep open communication with our boys and set examples. That doesn’t mean being perfect, it means talking to them and being honest. 

“Most of the conversations I have with our boys are encouraging. I tell them how well they’re doing and that they’re doing better than I would at their age with the pressures they have.”

Born Edward Michael Grylls (Bear was a nickname given to him as a baby by his sister, which stuck), he spent three years as an SAS reservist where he became a survival skills expert. His SAS career was cut short after a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa left him with three shattered vertebrae. After months of military rehabilitation, he went on to become one of the youngest climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest at 23.

In the following years he completed several daredevil expeditions – rowing across the North Atlantic in a rigid inflatable boat and set a world record for the highest open-air formal dinner party, held in a hot-air balloon at 7395 metres.

His TV series include Emmy-nominated Man vs. Wild and Running Wild with Bear Grylls on the National Geographic channel, in which he took public figures on extreme adventures. His guests included Barack Obama, Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Kate Winslet and Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister. He’s also a Chief Scout and honorary lieutenant commander in the British Royal Naval Reserve.

One of Grylls’s strongest influences was his father, Conservative MP Sir Michael Grylls, who died of a heart attack when Bear was 26. Within the same year, Shara, who he just married, also lost her father. He admits it was one of the hardest periods of his life.

“I struggled and I didn’t really have anyone to talk to,” he recalls. “Shara and I had just married and we’d both just lost our dads. I felt ill-equipped to cope. We were trying to support two widows who were both struggling. We were at a stage in life when we were trying to figure out what to do for a living and coping with grief while everyone else our age was having fun.

“Dad died suddenly, so it was a huge shock. I miss him every day. Shara arguably had it harder. She watched her dad die slowly of MS, which he was diagnosed with when she was a kid, so her grief was riddled with trauma.”

At that low point of his life, Grylls sought help and had counselling. “I had a few sessions,” he reveals. “I’m not sure how good it was. I was clutching around in the dark trying to find my way. Ultimately, I just got my head down and got on with it.”

A committed Christian, he believes his network of good friends and his faith got him through the tough time. “When it comes to being mentally resilient, there is a place for getting your head down and working through it, but it’s not enough on its own,” he says. “You need each other, and you need to be equipped and resourced to deal with life’s challenges. People are more dialled into that now.”

And when it comes to an ideal male support network, Grylls reveals that one of the most emotionally tuned-in and open environments he has experienced was the SAS, where, perhaps counter to expectations, toxic masculinity and emotional repression were not significant factors.

“Everyone was more emotionally switched on; there was less ego and machismo. They were more honest. I had genuine, real friendships. People showed more vulnerability. That’s why I loved it and felt it was much more my bag. They shared struggles and shared each other’s burdens.”

And even regular soldiers are ahead of the curve now when it comes to checking in about mental health. “Soldiers have got much better at this, both serving and veterans,” says Grylls. “They are ahead of the general male population, because in the last 15 or 20 years they’ve been encouraged to talk about this stuff and resource people who can help, which we all need to do.”

This is one of the driving motivations behind Mettle. “If we don’t get a handle on this and start to address mental fitness,” concludes Grylls, “this epidemic will never end.”

The Mettle app is available to download on the Apple App Store or Google Play; 14-day free trial, thereafter it’s $15 per month, $130 per year or $300 for a lifetime purchase.

Feeling flat? Try this global legend’s tips for a resilience upgrade

“Have a few close friendships. You don’t need loads, just a few people who you can be honest and vulnerable around and who you can talk about your struggles with," Grylls says.

“Look after your body – eat a healthy diet, train, get the right amount of sleep.” Grylls’ advice might seem basic, but it’s the foundation for good mental health.

This long-time ambassador for the Scouting movement can’t be wrong. Nature is powerful medicine: “I find walking barefoot in the morning helps ground me.” 

Endorphins are an instant mood booster, so do the things that unleash them regularly: “Get moving, get the sun on your face. Cold-water swimming or a cold shower can also be hugely beneficial.”

Aussie men changing the face of men’s mental health

Mitch Wallis

Founder of Heart On My Sleeve 

Wallis is on a mission to redefine how mental health is addressed in corporate settings. His Real Mates mental health first aid training provides practical tools for workplaces to help promote awareness and foster a culture of empathy and support.

Gus Worland

Founder of Gotcha4lifeFoundation

Through his foundation, Worland aims to break down barriers to male emotional expression and foster a culture of open communication and support. By funding initiatives that provide avenues for connection, the media identity is making a tangible difference in the lives of men across Australia.

Dr Zac Seidler

Global director of research, Movember

A clinical psychologist and self-proclaimed man-whisperer, Seidler has dedicated his academic and professional career to understanding men’s mental health and masculinity. His work with the Movember Institute, a new initiative dedicated entirely to men’s mental health research, will be groundbreaking.

Hugh van Cuylenburg

Founder of The Resilience Project

Via The Resilience Project, van Cuylenburg delivers impactful programs about mental health and resilience in schools and workplaces. Additionally, as host of The Imperfects podcast, he initiates vital conversations about challenging stigmas and inspires men and women to prioritise wellbeing.

Hunter Johnson

CEO of The Man Cave

Johnson is at the forefront of empowering young men to navigate the complexities of masculinity and mental health. Through innovative programs, workshops and mentoring, he creates safe spaces for boys to explore their emotions, challenge stereotypes and build authentic connections.