Volodymyr Zelensky’s team refused Bear Grylls’ offer of chocolate for fear of poisoning
Volodymyr Zelensky's security team pounced on some chocolate offered to him by Bear Grylls over fears the survival expert could have been trying to poison the Ukrainian president.
Grylls offered Mr Zelensky a square of Cadbury's to “break the ice” during their first meeting on a trip to Ukraine to film a new documentary - but the president’s security team were not pleased.
They refused the offering in case Grylls, 48, was trying to assassinate Mr Zelensky.
"I get it," Grylls told Good Morning Britain on Monday as he discussed his new Channel 4 documentary 'Bear Grylls Meets President Zelensky'.
"Normally when I've done this before with world leaders, the wild does half my job for me - it's a great leveller. It's a great ice-breaker - you're out in the mountains."
Grylls has shared food with other world leaders, including bits of salmon caught by a bear with former US president Barack Obama in Alaska’s wilderness.
During his visit to Ukraine, Grylls witnessed the destruction brought by Russia’s invasion and met locals whose lives had been changed forever.
Grylls said that “the goal really with this show is to get to know the real guy behind the podium, actually what he [Mr Zelensky] is like as a man” and learn how Ukraine is surviving its war.
