Exclusive: Celebrity Bear Hunt star Boris Becker reveals knee surgery after struggling on show

Former world tennis champion Boris Becker has revealed that he had to undergo knee surgery when he returned from Costa Rica, where he was filming Netflix's Celebrity Bear Hunt.

In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, he spoke about his bad knee, which got increasingly uncomfortable over the filming of the series: "It was frustrating, I'm a competitor and I like to win. Aches and pains are part of professional life, but my knee problem got actually worse without giving too much away.

"I ultimately had surgery on my right meniscus after I came back home," he added.

However, Boris endured the challenges of Bear Grylls' game show for as long as he could before leaving: "I did spend another week after it happened in camp, but I did what they asked me to do.

"Having a bit of life experience, maybe more than some of the other participants, I felt like I can handle difficult situations, and so can you," adding that he felt that he and Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas became "mentors of the camp" together.

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Boris also spoke highly of his co-stars and how the group bonded, saying: "We have stayed in touch. That's another beautiful thing, we really bonded. I mean you had 12 different personalities and characters in a confined space over two, three weeks.

"There's no technology, no phone or television, no newspapers so you ultimately have to speak to one another and you have to open up because there's nothing else to do. So, we did that and I think I've found 11 new friends now."

Celebrity Bear Hunt, starring Boris alongside former Spice GirlMel B, fashion model Leomie Anderson and Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas, is available to stream on Netflix now.

Boris Becker's wedding

Boris and Lilian, his third wife, have mostly kept their romance very private, with their wedding coming as a surprise, given that they had never formally announced their engagement.

The two tied the knot in the Cervara Abbey in Portofino, which he described as "one of the most romantic places".

Boris, 57, and his bride, 33, gathered 100 of their closest family and friends for a lavish three-day celebration in September 2024. They exchanged vows by the seaside in Santa Margherita Ligure, with the former 14th-century cliffside abbey offering ocean views that made for the perfect wedding photo backdrop.

The couple shared their wedding exclusively with HELLO!. See their full wedding album here