Holly Willoughby's huge farewell bash revealed as she quits UK for Costa Rica

Holly Willoughby had a farewell party before heading to Costa Rica to film a show (Image: INSTAGRAM Holly Willoughby)

Holly Willoughby is expected to be out of her home country for at least two months, as she joins TV adventurer Bear Grylls for a survivalist show in the heart of the Costa Rican jungle. The 43-year-old wasn't doing things by halves when she headed to Mexican restaurant Ixchel on the King's Road in Chelsea, west London, for an epic farewell party.

She is said to have been surrounded by celeb pals including Loose Women's Christine Lampard and Nicole Appleton, as well as her nearest and dearest outside of the public eye, before setting off. The upmarket eatery, named after the Mayan goddess of the moon, features lunar art on its walls and would seemingly be the perfect match for the woman whose wellness brand, Wylde Moon, also has a celestial theme.

It also has a Central American theme, like the country where she is headed, and promises to bring the "authentic flavours of Mexico" to London. Ixchel is favoured by royalty including Princess Beatrice, while it also counts Poppy Delevigne and Lisa Snowdon among its past guests.

A personalised Full Moon menu was laid on at the restaurant, which also doubles as a tequila bar, featuring signature cocktails such as Holly's Paloma, Bear's Punch and The Aztec Marg. Guests are said to have tucked into guacamole, pico de gallo, hand-dived scallop agua chile and pork belly tacos, while a milky tres leches cake had guests' mouths watering when it came time for dessert.

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Also on the menu was a cinnamon custard creme, fresh strawberries and corn meringue. Now that the celebrations are over, Holly, her co-host Bear Grylls and ten celebrity contestants will be jetting to Costa Rica for the adventure of a lifetime.

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Ixchel restaurant has a lunar theme and is named after the Mayan goddess of the Moon (Image: IXCHEL)

There has been a sharp rise in homicide rates across Costa Rico in recent years, with gangs from Mexico and Colombia reportedly responsible as they fight for control of the land, the Daily Mail reports.

The once blissfully peaceful country, which famously disbanded its army 70 years ago due to the political stability, seems to have been blighted by turf wars.

However, special forces and ex-military guns for hire will be looking after Holly and co during filming to guarantee the team's wellbeing.

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Holly Willoughby invited pals like Christine Lampard to her farewell party (Image: SPLASH) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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A source previously told The Sun of the show, titled Bear Hunt, "Netflix are investing huge sums in creating a show which can rival ITV's I'm a Celebrity, by bagging big names and choosing a tropical location."

They added that "keeping Holly and everyone fully protected in Costa Rica is the priority. That means hiring specialist teams of guards."

The reality show will mark Holly's debut on a streaming platform, having previously been on mainstream television with ITV shows she's hosted including This Morning and Dancing On Ice.

Meanwhile, Bear will be putting contestants through their paces throughout the series and anyone who fails to impress is set to be "hunted" down by Bear himself and potentially eliminated from the show.

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