Russell Brand Tells Bear Grylls His ‘Extreme’ Addiction Could Have Killed Him (Exclusive)

Russell Brand is reflecting on his struggle with addiction. The actor is on the latest episode of “Running Wild” with Bear Grylls and, in a clip exclusive to Access Hollywood, the two go on an adventure off the coast of a secluded Scottish isle, where Russell gets honest about how serious his addiction became. “It was a dominant and defining part of my life from when I was about 16 until I stopped when I was 27,” Russell told Bear. “Particularly the last five years, I suppose, I was told if I didn’t stop in like the next six months, I’d be dead or in prison or in an institution of some kind. So, it got like quite extreme,” he added. The 48-year-old also explained the difficult road of recovery, admitting it took “a long while” to get clean. The latest episode of “Running Wild” airs Aug. 6 at 9/8c on National Geographic.