Fans of the BBC One primetime show Strictly Come Dancing will know that the latest series began over the weekend, and this year Bangor University alumnus and recent honorary degree recipient, Hamza Yassin, is one of the celebrities taking part.
Families across the UK will recognise Hamza from his CBeebies show Let’s Go For A Walk, which all spurred from his lifelong love of adventure and nature. Born in Sudan, Hamza moved to the UK at the age of eight, and later gained a master’s degree in Biological Imaging and Photography, and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with Conservation at Bangor University. He went onto become a published wildlife photographer and a tour guide, and is also a skilled ornithologist aka an expert in birds.
In July 2022, Hamza received a Master Honours Degree from Bangor University, which one of his idols, Sir David Attenborough, has also received in the past.
With so much experience in his field, Hamza started working on The One Show as one of their wildlife cameraman, leading him to land his own CBeebies show and Let’s Go For A Walk companion book. He can also be spotted on Countryfile and ITV’s This Morning, and has filmed and presented Channel 4 shows Scotland: My Life in the Wild and Scotland: Escape to the Wilderness.
Hamza now lives in a remote rural village on the west coast of Scotland called Ardnamurchan, where he’s not only surrounded by wildlife, but has rare creatures living with him too – in fact, European pine martens have set up their home in his attic!
But now it’s time for his to hang up his walking boots and slip on some dancing shoes as he explores the world of Strictly!
Hamza’s first routine with his professional partner Jowita Przystał was praised by the judges with Anton Du Beke saying ‘We’ve got ourselves a ballroom dancer in the house.”
Follow Bangor University’s social media for Hamza’s progress and to support #TeamHamza!
