Television adventurer Bear Grylls has suffered a broken shoulder while taking part in a charitable expedition in Antarctica.
The 34-year-old presenter fell while climbing an ice mountain on a trip to promote the use of alternative energies as bio-fuels.
Details of the accident have not been confirmed but the former SAS soldier is thought to have been airlifted to safety.
The father-of-two will be treated in South Africa - a seven-hour flight away from Antarctica - before returning to the UK, it is believed.
A spokesman for the Channel 4 wild man confirmed Grylls was "in a lot of pain".
"He is calm and collected - but in pain," he was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.
"It is par for the course for the sort of thing that Bear does - this was a dangerous trip."
A statement from the Discovery Channel - for whom Grylls presents the Man vs Wild show - confirmed he had been taking part in an expedition for Ethanol Ventures to promote the potential of alternative energies like bioethanol.
"Bear has a strong religious faith and a loving family to help speed his recovery," the network said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Bear as he makes the long trip back to the UK."
Grylls' programmes - which typically see him stranded in remote areas - attracted controversy last year after it was admitted that some segments had been cleverly edited.
Channel 4 later apologised for misleading audiences and said all future programmes would be "100 per cent transparent", adding: "All elements of the filming will be explained upfront to our viewers."
08/12/2008 12:09:08