Born in Sudan, Hamza Yassin, 33, came to the UK at the age of eight. He studied zoology with conservation at Bangor University and, after a master’s in photography, became a wildlife cameraman. In 2020, he made his first television appearance, as Ranger Hamza on the CBeebies show Let’s Go for a Walk. He is a BBC regular on Countryfile and Animal Park, and his latest documentary is Hamza’s Birds of Prey. In 2022, he won Strictly Come Dancing. He hosts the podcast Get Birding and his new book is Be a Birder. He is single and lives in the West Highlands. What is your greatest fear? Heights, and not getting along with people. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of confidence in speaking to the opposite sex. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Not being honest. Describe yourself in three words Natural, caring, thoughtful. What would your superpower be? To speak to animals. What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you? There’s a tweet somewhere saying, “If you like Africa so much, why don’t you go back there.” It was because I dedicated one of my dances to my three mothers – Mother Africa, Mother Nature and my mother. What do you owe your parents? Everything, for understanding and coping with my dyslexia when it wasn’t diagnosed. They believed in me and fought my corner, and still do. What is your guiltiest pleasure? I sleep for Scotland. I work hard and I relax hard. I love my sleep. What does love feel like? Hurtful, hard, like concrete but also the soft, silky, smooth, cool pillow that you lay your head on. It’s like birds singing in the morning with the aurora going over your head at night. That’s love for me. Which living person do you most despise, and why? Anyone who sees animals as sport. Hunting for food is absolutely fine, I don’t have a problem with that. But if it’s a sport, let the animal have a rifle as well and let it fire back at you. What did you dream about last night? The person that I love. I am not dating; it’s unrequited love. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Awesome” and “Oh really”. When did you last cry, and why? My last dance with Jowita, my dance partner. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster; she’s taught me so much about myself and I grew as a result. I’m more confident, more understanding, more respectful, more attuned with myself and others, more mentally strong. What is the closest you’ve come to death? Being about nine metres away from a polar bear. In northern Canada, a young polar bear was very intrigued by our food. I was flying the drone at the time and the polar bear looked up and started paying attention, so then we flew the drone further away and he followed it while we got into our vehicles. What single thing would improve the quality of your life? Finding a partner. What has been your closest brush with the law? I am a goody two-shoes. What keeps you awake at night? Stress, love, people not understanding me, me not understanding people. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? That life is tough and unfair; that life is beautiful.