Bear Grylls has said it was “a dream” come true to be baptised in the River Jordan.
The adventurer and TV star, 49, shared a photo of himself waist-deep in the water during the religious ceremony.
Grylls, who is a devout Christian, said he has long aspired to get into the water where Jesus was baptised.
He wrote on Instagram: “It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptised in by my hero, John the Baptist.
“The story is so amazing, & it seems wherever Jesus went, that new birth, new life, a new vision followed.
“Luke (in the bible) was probably a Syrian doctor before he met Jesus. He writes a reliable, poignant account of his life. It’s short. I like it.”
The gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke all depict the baptism in parallel passages.
In Luke’s account, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus immediately after his baptism, accompanied by a voice from Heaven which addressed Jesus saying: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
After the baptism, the Synoptic gospels describe the temptation of Jesus, where Jesus withdrew to the Judean desert to fast for 40 days and nights.
Grylls’ photo shows him with his eyes closed as another man holds his hand and places another hand on his back.
He previously told GQ magazine: “For me, having a Christian faith can be difficult to articulate.
“It’s like describing ice cream or swimming, it has to be tried to be felt.
“But, in a nutshell, my faith tells me that I am known, that I am secure and that I am loved, regardless of the storms I may find myself in from time to time, regardless of how often I fall and fail.”
He added: “I meet so many people who don’t want ‘religion’, as such. I get it. I feel the same.
“And, in fact, so did Jesus, the heart of all Christian faith.
“Faith and religion are not the same thing.
“The Jesus I read about in the Bible was fun, free and wild.
“He loved a party and he always hung out with the non-religious folk.
“The only people he ever got angry with were the overly religious types.”