Chris Packham: Last News

Megan McCubbin, 27, is the wildlife-loving step-daughter of nature expert Chris Packham, 61.The star has opened up about what it was like growing up in the spotlight, despite the term “famous” making Chris “squirm”, in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.Megan, who has recently teamed up with Lovat Parks, spoke about the wondrous benefits of “connecting to our wild side” this summer, as she had a fantastic experience growing up around wild animals thanks to famed wildlife expert Chris. Asked whether growing up around such a high-profile figure prepared her for show business, which seems worlds away from her outdoor pursuits, she confirmed that it had. “Yeah, I'm quite used to it,” she reflected. "I mean, if you called him [Chris] famous to his face he’d probably squirm a little bit. “But I suppose so; I’m used to people coming up to him and saying hello and being very friendly.“For me, it’s lovely - I’m just so grateful that everyone's been so welcoming to me on something like Springwatch, which people love so much.“I'm grateful that people are incredibly supportive, and they've given me that kind of opportunity.”Springwatch viewers have previously expressed their delight at seeing Chris and Megan’s effortless chemistry on screen thanks to their close relationship. Speaking about their rapport on the show, Megan said: “We have a great relationship with one another and we have a lot of fun.“I think we learn from each other in different ways.

“But wouldn’t it be good if they said: ‘Right, what we want you to do is go and work in an RSPCA rehabilitation centre and you’ve got to do 30 days’ work there.“Then we could make a film about that.’“I would like to see him now play a prominent role in animal welfare - he could turn it around.“That’s what he should do. He should say: ‘I am a genuinely reformed character.

Chris Packham has called for West Ham’s Kurt Zouma to work at an animal welfare centre, after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his cat. The BBC Springwatch host says : “It’s difficult to punish a footballer financially, they are just so wealthy.

Megan McCubbin, who is the nature-loving step-daughter of Chris Packham, spoke candidly about her love of animals and the need to protect our wildlife in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.The Springwatch presenter revealed that, while she had a tough time at school due to her dyslexia, it was a streak of tigers that saved her from giving up her goal of working with animals. Megan, who has recently teamed up with Lovat Parks, spoke about the wonders of wildlife and why it can really benefit us all to connect with our “wild side”. The documentarian knows a thing or two about that, as she has grown up with a myriad of diverse creatures all around her. Her most unusual animal friends, however, are the four tigers that managed to persuade her not to give up on her dreams of studying zoology. Confirming that she had “no fear” when it came to the wild animals, Megan opened up about the difficult time she had at school.Megan explained: “I’m quite severely dyslexic, and I've always struggled learning science in the conventional way. “So much that - when I was at school - I had some difficult experiences there and teachers didn't really understand what to do with me.“I didn’t necessarily appear to be the brightest, but that wasn't actually the case; it was just the fact that I learned differently from everyone else. “Over time, I've kind of had to challenge myself to overcome - not overcome because you can’t overcome dyslexia - but you learn to work with it and use it to your advantage.”Megan desperately wanted to work with animals, but felt like her performance in science classes indicated she might not be cut out for the Bsc in Zoology she would one day go on to obtain.“It got to a point where I was questioning myself on

BBC Springwatch star Megan McCubbin is having the last laugh against cruel trolls who mocked her mispronunciation of words on screen – dubbing her dyslexia a “superpower” as her career soars.Back next week in the new series of the show, the zoologist will explore the north east of England in a bid to share the benefits of spending time in nature.On her rise to TV success with the learning disorder, which affects parts of the brain that process language, Megan says: “I’ve confused words or pronounced something wrong and while I get nervous, I wouldn’t change it – dyslexia is a superpower.“I had to rewire how I learn and taught myself to grasp complex concepts.“Dyslexia is very complex and no two people learn the same.”Awareness and support have been forthcoming, continues Megan, who reveals: “Today someone asked if I wanted a script on different-coloured paper.”New research from holiday firm Lovat Parks reveals the powerful benefits to mental health from immersion in nature.Being in the presence of trees saw 81% find a boost in mental wellbeing and spending significant amounts of time in natural environments was shown to reduce the risk of developing depression in 20% of people.Megan adds: “Sit in a quiet place and you’ll see it come alive, spot things and see them in a new light.“We saw during Covid, people engaged with nature more because they had more time on their hands.“As our lives are busier again, we need to remember the joy it gave us.” The 27-year-old, who is the stepdaughter of fellow Springwatch star Chris Packham, turns to the great outdoors to keep her mental wellbeing strong.And Megan suggests anyone worried about the cost-of-living crisis should turn to nature to help control any anxiety.She adds: “This is

CHRIS Packham has insisted that he "couldn't care less" if viewers hate his outfits on Springwatch ahead of the show's 18th season. The presenter, who has hosted the BBC nature series since 2009, will be entering his 13th season with Michaela Strachan later this month.

Mirror, Chris, 61, said: “I was drinking too much, and too often, and I thought, ‘you’re getting addicted to this,’ and I really don’t like the idea of ­addiction. I was scared of it, I just instantaneously stopped.” Conservationist Chris, who returns to our screens later this month with a new Springwatch series was speaking during Mental Health Awareness Week.He revealed: “I got to a point, as you know, where I thought very seriously, and right to the last moment, about taking my life because I was depressed."“I thought to myself, on the back of that, I mustn’t ever allow myself to get to this point again.

The Chase host Bradley Walsh made a cheeky dig at Rachel Johnson during in a celebrity special of the ITV show.He is known for his cheeky jibes at his guests and things were no different when Prime Minister Boris Johnson's sister Rachel Johnson took to the stand to try her luck.The repeated episode of the quiz show also saw author Rachel, journalist Giles Coren, TV presenter Chris Packham and comedian Josie Long battle the chaser.Giles kicked off the quiz and bagged a huge £40,000 for the prize pot, before Rachel stepped up second to try and grab more cash for the team.Playing it safe and scoring a respectable £4,000, she returned to the panel for the final chase - but not before Bradley could take a swipe at her performance.In her initial questions, before going head-to-head with Paul Sinha, Rachel was unable to name champagne brand Veuve Clicquot."The shocking inditement is tonight of course, you not knowing Veuve Clicquot, which is my favourite champagne," Bradley joked."I felt like I got more right, but I'm always very over optimistic which is sad, isn't it?" she jibed back about her comparatively small prize fund.Bradley joked: "No, no it's okay - delusional, but okay."He went on to ask her if she was "ready" to face the Chaser, to which a baffled Rachel replied: "I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening.""Good, time to face the Chaser," the presenter joked.Rachel wasn't caught by The Sinnerman and ended up returning to the team to join them in the final chase.Chris was knocked out after taking a risk to play for £50,000, falling at the final hurdle and going home.Meanwhile, Josie returned to the panel with a low offer of £1,000.The total was taken to £45,000 - which the three celebrities would split between their

Chris Packham has spoken of the terrifying moment a car exploded outside his house in an arson attack.His home in the New Forest was targeted by two masked men on October 8, and police are hunting the attackers.Packham, 60, has faced harassment due to his activism around wildlife conservation and campaigning against trail hunting and licences to shoot wild birds.He said: “Since the threats started a few years ago, they’ve been manyfold and have taken different forms.“So we’ve had death threats initially in the post.“We’ve had people posting us human excrement and animal excrement and other offensive items.”However he said the arson attack marks an “upscaling” and has now had to increase security at his home.Hampshire police say a Land Rover Discovery was stolen in the hours before the attack in Marchwood, Southampton.A Land Rover Discovery drove in convoy with a Mitsubishi Shogun to Packham’s house, before the driver of the Land Rover parked at the gates.“He then spends three minutes and forty seconds, which is a long time, setting fires inside that vehicle,” says Detective Inspector Howard Broadbribb, of Hampshire police.“He’s not afraid of being caught, he’s not panicking. He then very casually walks away in the direction of where the Shogun was parked up.“You can see the Land Rover has been completely destroyed...

Chris Packham, 60, was on BBC's Crimewatch this morning to discuss the terrifying "firebomb attack" that happened at his house in October.The wildlife expert went into detail about what happened and revealed his family's concern for his own welfare after the "upscaling" of these attacks.Chris spoke to Rav Wilding this morning on Crimewatch, in a bid to find those who attacked his home in October last year.The broadcaster said that two men set a vehicle on fire at the gate of his home, causing a dangerous blaze.The attack and many other threats, including finding dead animals outside his home, as well as death threats through the post, have caused concerns for his family.Discussing his family's concern, Chris told Rav Wilding: "As you say, it's quite frightening, it's a direct attack if you like, rather than dead animals being left outside, which I am afraid has come quite a common place."It's an upscaling. But yes, my partner, who is relatively resolute, is certainly perturbed."He continued: "My step daughter who has grown up in a theatre where I have been campaigning and has been perhaps even more used to the threats is concerned about my welfare more than anything else to be quite honest with you."Chris also recalled the events in detail in a bid to bring more information to catch the perpetrators.He said: "It was October 8, myself and the dogs went to bed rather early for us, just before midnight."Then shortly after 12.30am there was an enormous explosion, it was the first I knew of the incident."The car had clearly exploded, the bang was tremendous.The dogs flew off the bed and straight away.

Chris Packham, 60, took to Twitter yesterday evening to share a horrifying picture of the firebomb attack on his home in October of last year.The television presenter has shared the picture in a bid for information, and in preparation for his TV appearance discussing the terrifying ordeal.Chris' home in the New Forest was targeted by two masked men on October 8 last year.The broadcaster said the men set a vehicle on fire at the gate of his home, causing the dangerous blaze.He posted a picture of the horrifying moment the fire appeared to begin to spread to his gate on Twitter today to share an update on the incident.In view of his 540,900 followers, he penned: "Tomorrow I'll be speaking on @BBCCrimewatch on @BBCOne at 10am about the firebomb attack on my home last October."DI Howard Broadribb CID from the superb @HantsPolice will reveal new evidence."If anyone has any information please call 101 quoting incident reference 44210403698."Many social media users took to the post's comments to express their concern over the "scary" picture of what had happened.Pembs_flyer said: "Still can't wrap my head around why anyone would want to do this."You are a standup human being, Chris. I really hope the people who did this get what they deserve."LifechatwithD added: "We need more people like you who use their celebrity status for the greater good.

The BBC Factual department has unveiled a vast slate including a natural history series following four animal families over four years and shows commemorating the 40th anniversaries of the Falklands War and AIDS crisis.

Chris Packham has raged at MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, after measures to scrap the import and sale of fur and foie gras have been abandoned.Taking to Twitter today, the environmentalist, 60, hit back at the idea of backtracking on the policy, claiming that the government was "capitulating to the ideas and the whims of people like Jacob Rees-Mogg" by abandoning the policy.On the micro-blogging platform, the naturalist shared a petition for his 537,300 followers to sign.Chris wrote: "Act now! The government is right now considering abandoning proposed bans on the import & sale of cruel fur and foie gras.

Presenter Megan McCubbin appeared on the finale of BBC’s Winterwatch three weeks ago only to be bombarded by angry tweets from people who had a problem with some of her pronunciations. Fans subsequently jumped to her defence, pointing out the nature lover struggles with dyslexia. Megan, 26, is the stepdaughter of Chris Packham CBE, a famous naturalist best known for his television work, including the CBBC children's nature series The Really Wild Show from 1986 to 1995.Chris, 60, has also presented the BBC nature series Springwatch, including Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, since 2009.The presenter clearly became a source of inspiration for his stepdaughter, who has since followed in his footsteps, recently joining him on the latest series of Winterwatch. On January 28, Megan presented the final instalment of Winterwatch 2022, only to be blasted by some viewers over the way she pronounced certain Irish locations. The conservationist and zoologist made the errors as she was discussing how certain birds fly around Ireland. One location that Megan mispronounced was Donegal, with some viewers insisting that the presenter was incorrectly pronouncing it “Don-Eagle”. Another was Waterford, where she appeared to be saying “Water-ford”.The last was Antrim, which left viewers questioning why the star seemed to be pronouncing it “A-trim”.Some viewers took to Twitter to call Megan out on the errors.Adam Kirtley wrote: “Love your work Megan but ‘Doneeegle’? Come on… Donegal is somewhere you should know how to pronounce!!” Jennifer Wilkinson added: “Ah yes, those well known Irish places Water Ford and Dun Eagle #winterwatch.”Ciaran Norrby penned: “Watching #Winterwatch, my home county of Donegal pronounced as 'Dun Eagle'.

The BBC presenter went on to reflect on the times he had shared with her, before telling his followers that he broke down following the loss.Chris penned: "She was made of the place I love, she had teased and taunted me emerging from her sett, she had held my breath as I lay frozen on her ground, she had made my heart skip beats... and now hers was still forever (sic)."I cried," he added.Chris told how he took her home and laid her to rest underneath a tree to let her bask in the sun for a final time.He wrote: "I couldn't let her go."I took her home and today I lay her in the sun under a tree and just sat there listening to everything she couldn't hear, smelling what she could no longer smell."What a waste of such beauty.

Lorraine Kelly has raised her eyebrows after Adele performed the hit song I Drink Wine while sitting on a grand piano at the BRIT Awards ceremony on Tuesday evening.The ITV presenter issued a thinly-veiled swipe at the British singer after she cancelled her Las Vegas shows last month.The 62-year-old returned for the latest instalment of her morning programme where she addressed the annual music event.She kicked off her self-titled show discussing all the gossip from the BRIT Awards with showbiz correspondent Ria Hebden and fashion guru Mark Hayes.The trio opened up about Adele's flawless performance to her song I Drink Wine.The 33-year-old captivated audiences with her stunning vocals and sensational appearance in a gold dress.The Easy On Me singer belted out her tune whilst sitting on top of a grand piano.The singing sensation's simplistic performance did not go unnoticed by the veteran broadcaster.Lorraine said: "She should have just done that in Vegas.She looked comfortable."That's all people want."Her comments come after Adele pulled the plug on her Las Vegas residency last month.The Hello hitmaker continues to face backlash for leaving fans thousands of pounds out of pocket when cancelled on her Stateside shows with just 24 hours' notice.Several fans took to social media to comment on Adele's BRIT award performance.Tori Rosemund commented: "And I’m stuck waiting to see if she’s gonna reschedule the Vegas shows."'Rancid stench of arrogance' Chris Packham rips into West Ham bosses[LATEST]Gemma Atkinson wows fiancé Gorka Marquez in revealing dress at BRITs[PICTURES]EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy hits out at Strictly for 'fat-shaming' her[STRICTLY]Megs remarked: "So Adele can't manage her concerts in Vegas, which by the

Gary Lineker has taken to Twitter to respond after Springwatch host Chris Packham issued a call for his help after a disturbing video of West Ham player Kurt Zouma allegedly "kicking his cat and slapping it around" was released yesterday.The wildlife presenter, 60, asked for a "favour" from the BBC sports broadcaster, 61, while branding the West Ham player's actions "not something in any way, space, or form acceptable."In view of his 528,000 followers, the former Everton footballer responded to the wildlife expert's video.Gary wrote: "Hi Chris, I’m sure you saw my tweet yesterday."I hope the relative authorities will take the required action."As you say it was an awful act of cruelty on that poor cat," he ended his reply.Yesterday, the Springwatch star posted a video directly appealing for help from the pundit.Chris said: "Hello Gary, Chris Packham here."Very sadly we've never met, I've always been a great fan of yours, of your play on the field and your work subsequently."I particularly like the way you stand up robustly for issues, drawing attention to things that we need to think about more widely, so top work on that account."But the fandom has to stop there," he said, as he finished gushing over the star.Chris went on: "I want to call upon you if I may to ask a favour."Us that work within the environmental wildlife and animal welfare world and I know you've helped us before, thank you very much for reposting the tweet about the snaring campaign that we're running at the moment."But it will have come to your notice I'm sure that a premiership footballer playing for West Ham has allegedly been kicking his cat and slapping it around in front of children in what appears to be his kitchen"This is, I'm sure you will

Naturalist Chris Packham has once again urged I’m A Celebrity to stop the ‘cruel stereotyping’ of animals and says the ITV series would be ‘just as good’ without involving them.  Packham is currently helping with coverage of National Geographic’s Big Cat Week, airing from February 7, as he lends his voice to multiple documentaries.  The annual TV programming event aims to highlight the National Geographic Society’s commitment to conservation through its Big Cats Initiative, which supports on-the-ground research and efforts to help protect big cats and their habitats.

Clair Norris is having a short break from EastEnders, having played character Bernie Tayor in the soap since 2017. The soap star now looks different to her character as she revealed her stunning new hair style in a snap on Instagram.

WINTERWATCH'S Chris Packham left Michaela Strachan fuming with a cheeky plastic surgery dig. The pair are into their second week of hosting the BBC show, and last night, gave fans an update on a rat they had named Ray and who had caught viewers' attention last week.

WINTERWATCH viewers were left gobsmacked on last night’s episode of the BBC show when presenter Chris Packham described a rat being torn to shreds.  Chris, 60, and Michaela Strachan, 55, returned on Thursday with another Winterwatch live, inviting viewers into the lives of animals at Norfolk’s Wild Ken Hill.  However, not long into the episode, viewers got more than they bargained for when Chris brought up Ray the rat.  Viewers were desperate to know if the rodent had survived the night, but the presenter hinted at some tragic news.  The naturalist introduced the programme, explaining that Ray could have been “ripped apart” and reciting a poem about the little creature.  He said: "As the realm of daylight snores and sleeps, at the water's edge something rusty creeps.  "Long of tail, reputation foul, it's the brazen rat called Ray.