Bear Grylls breaks silence on Russell Brand rape conviction after he helped baptize him

Bear Grylls has publicly addressed Russell Brand's conviction at his highly publicized London criminal trial.

Brand was found guilty on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

After the ruling, he was taken into police custody to await sentencing on Monday.

Grylls, the adventurer and TV host best known for Man vs. Wild, responded in a post on X on Friday, reflecting on the baptism he attended in 2024.

He wrote: "Brand's faith seemed genuine to me at the time when I was a guest at his private baptism. I have attended a few now."

Grylls went on to say that he has visited prisoners who have committed terrible crimes.

"It's part of our calling as men and women of faith, to love and serve anyone," he said. "It is the sick that need healing. Judgement is for the courts and God... I wouldn't want to ever discourage someone's coming to faith."

Grylls then turned to the verdict itself, which was handed down on Thursday.

"It is right that justice has now been served. I can't imagine how hard this time has been for the victims, the heroes of the day," he said.

How do Bear Grylls and Russell Brand know each other?

Grylls made headlines in 2024 when he was present for Brand's baptism in the River Thames.

That was less than a year after the initial allegations against Brand were exposed in the UK's Sunday Times and in Channel 4's Dispatches docuseries.

The two men had crossed paths earlier, when Brand appeared as a guest on Grylls' show Running Wild in 2023, before the docuseries was released.

After the allegations emerged, Brand converted to Christianity and spoke extensively about his religion on his social media channels.

Six women testified against Brand during the trial about alleged incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.

Following the verdict, London's Metropolitan Police, known as the Met, announced it is investigating further rape allegations against Brand from two women.

A Met spokesperson said: "The Met's investigation into allegations of rape made by two women remains ongoing. The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations."

The statement added: "Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants. Detectives remain in close contact with prosecutors as enquiries continue and further investigative work is carried out." The Crown Prosecution Service is the public body that prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales.

The force also said anyone who wishes to speak to detectives or make a report can email the investigation team at [email protected], or call 101 from within the UK quoting reference 2321/04NOV26.

Brand is due to be sentenced on Monday (November 9), while the Met's investigation remains ongoing.