Chris Packham's complex love life choosing pets over marriage and separate homes
Chris Packham returns to our screens this evening in a new episode of Springwatch, where he and co-presenter Michaela Strachan will be discovering more about wildlife at the RSPB Arne in Dorset.
Animals like the ones seen in the show play such a big part in the 62-year-old's life and have even had a major impact on his long-term relationship.
The nature lover, who has Asperger's Syndrome, has been with The Wildheart Trust founder Charlotte Corney for more than a decade.
They first met in 2007 when Chris was doing a voiceover for a programme filmed at her zoo.
However, it's because of their beloved animals that the pair have yet to tie the knot, which they won't do so for some time, if ever.
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Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke present Springwatch (BBC/Pete Dadds)In 2020, Chris opened up about his relationship on The Different Minds podcast and was asked if he and Charlotte, 47, would ever wed.
At the time he said it probably wouldn't happen until he'd lost the other creatures that are most important to him in life, including his beloved poodle Scratchy.
"I would say no. It's all about animals at the moment, we have to concentrate on them," he explained.
"Her tigers are old, my dog Scratchy is old. It's not about us, we have to get through this period basically of aged animals."
Speaking to the Radio Times, he went on to explain his deep bond with Scratchy, saying: "Scratchy is the most important creature in my life. He's dependent on me; Charlotte isn't.
"I've always had a problem with needing to be loved by other people. My love for Scratchy and Charlotte is different, but of equal gravity, and that gravity is the problem. Humans find it crushing. Animals benefit because my devotion is profound. Also, humans consistently fail one another, whereas Scratchy never, ever fails me."
Charlotte has also spoken about Chris' love for Scratchy. In her own piece for Radio Times she said that she 'doesn't compare' his love for the dog to his love for her.
"I am more physically affectionate to him than he is to me, but it's fine," she said.
"Sometimes I think it would be great to be with someone more normal - he can seem so alien as to be extraterrestrial - but I know I couldn't live with that. He never embarrasses me."
She added that she loves Chris' outlook on life and described him as "agonisingly funny", sharing how he makes her laugh like no one else and insisting she'll "never be bored".
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The couple also shared how they live in separate homes but are "working towards" living together.
Chris and Charlotte both have a love of animals (MDM)During his appearance on The Different Minds podcast, the Springwatch star recalled the early days of his relationship, admitting that his Asperger's Syndrome made it difficult for him to even look at Charlotte at first as he found it "intimidating and stressful".
He said: "I so liked Charlotte and I wanted to develop a relationship with her, but I was so intimidated by that and it was so pressurised, that I found it really difficult to look at her despite the fact that I really liked the way she looked!"
Chris went on to share how Charlotte once told him she initially thought he was the 'weirdest person', saying to him: "I thought I'd met the weirdest person because I was with them for six months and they didn't look at me once."
Charlotte, who is the former CEO of The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in the Isle of Wight and grew up rearing animals with her family, has also shared memories of their early dating life.
Speaking to Radio Times, she recalled how it was 'difficult' at first to pick up on signs that he liked her.
"He made a huge effort to come to the launch of the film so that he could meet me again. His Asperger's means he can't flirt, so there were none of the usual signs to pick up on.
"A few days later, we were meant to go to dinner, but instead we just talked the whole night, and we connected on every level. I knew that my whole world was in that person."
The couple have been together for more than a decade (AFP via Getty Images)Chris initially didn't tell Charlotte he'd been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, only telling her after five years together when she asked.
Chris has previously spoken about hiding his disability for the "best part" of his life and how growing up with it was brutal - so much so that he even contemplated taking his own life.
He was diagnosed with Asperger's aged 40 and has since opened up to the Radio Times about the reality of living with it.
"I'm anything but normal. I experience the world in hyper-reality. Sensory overload is a constant distraction. I've just been for a walk in the woods, and it was very different for me than it would be for you – the sights, the smells, the sounds," he said.
While the pair don't have any children together, Chris does have a stepdaughter named Megan McCubbin from a previous relationship.
He dated Megan's mum Jo, an NHS worker, for 10 years and has been in Megan's life since she was two years old.
Megan has a lot in common with both Chris and Charlotte, as she has a degree in zoology, and is a keen wildlife photographer.
She's even previously appeared on Springwatch with Chris.
Speaking about the experience to HELLO!, she said: "I met Chris when I was two years old so have always grown up around film crews. I was with my stepdad, and who better to learn from than him?
"He's a role model of mine professionally and it's great that he happens to be my stepdad as well."
* Springwatch continues tonight at 8pm on BBC2.
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