Hamza Yassin said “no-one” is able to replace Sir David Attenborough, but he would like to “show people what the natural world” means to him and carry on the veteran broadcaster’s legacy.
The 32-year-old wildlife cameraman and CBeebies presenter has risen to fame after winning Strictly Come Dancing last month alongside his partner Jowita Przystal.
Yassin, who is working on a book and more nature documentaries in 2023, was asked by Hello! magazine about one day replacing Sir David, 96, who last year made BBC factual programme Dinosaurs: The Final Day With David Attenborough.
Yassin said: “It’s an absolute honour to have my name mentioned in the same sentence as Sir David.
“No-one will ever replace Sir David. He’s an absolute legend of this industry. I’d love to show people what the natural world means to me and why we need to look after it.
“Sir David sparked that interest in me, and if I can, I’ll take on that baton and run with it as far as I can, then hopefully pass it to someone else.”
Yassin has also joined the cast of Strictly’s UK arena tour with Przystal alongside Helen Skelton and Kai Widdrington, who is stepping in for Gorka Marquez who she competed with on the show, and Fleur East and Vito Coppola.
They will join Will Mellor and Nancy Xu, Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu, Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin, and Tyler West and Dianne Buswell on the dancefloor.
Przystal, who hopes to return for Strictly next year, said it would be “weird” if she was dancing without Yassin.
He said: “I must admit, I will be jealous. I’ll be saying: ‘That’s not how you do that lift’.”
Yassin also said he credits his partner for teaching him about himself and “how to deal with pressure and a lot about empathy”.
Singers East and Rainford also said there will be some duets with the both of them during the tour.
The live show, which opens at the Utilita Arena Birmingham on January 20, visits venues including Leeds’s First Direct Arena, the AO Arena in Manchester and Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
The dancers will also stop at London’s O2 Arena and the SSE Arena in Belfast, before ending at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on February 12.
Read the full article in Hello! magazine out now.