English naturalist and presenter Chris Packham is, probably, best known for his work on the BBC's Springwatch. The long-time TV presenter has been on our screens since the mid-Eighties and during that time, has featured in countless TV programmes.
Chris is currently fronting two-part documentary series, Inside Our Autistic Minds. In the series, Chris meets other autistic people and helps them create short films to reveal to their family and friends what’s really going on inside their minds. The first episode, which aired on Tuesday, February 14, saw him meet Ken Bruce's son Murray - Read more about that here.
But when did Chris find out about his own Asperger's diagnosis, who is his famous stepdaughter and what are his gripes with I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!? Here's everything that you need to know.
Read more: Viewers in tears over Chris Packham's emotional autism documentary as they call it a 'must watch'
When did Chris Packham get diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome?
Chris would officially be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome whilst he was in his 20s. The 61-year-old previously told the BBC that he was "lucky to get through that period of [his] life".
During his 2017 documentary, Asperger's and Me, Chris said: “I’m not a typical autistic person because there is no typical autistic person." He added that he experiences the world "differently" to others due to his condition.
In addition, he explained how sensory overload is a constant distraction for him and that he had a unique degree of fascination with nature as a topic: “The depth of the obsession was so much greater than my peers.”
During the documentary, Chris described how he makes an effort to control his environment as much as possible. This includes following a regular set of routines such as wearing the same thing and eating the same types of food all the time, which he said was “a comfort thing”.
Who is Chris Packham's famous stepdaughter?
Chris Packham's stepdaughter is zoologist, conservationist, photographer and TV presenter, Megan McCubbin. He occasionally works with her on Springwatch. Megan's mother is Jo McCubbin, a nurse, who Chris got together with when Megan was just two. The couple split way back in 2008 but he and Megan remained close.
Earlier this year, Chris told Express.co.uk that his stepdaughter's plan wasn't originally to follow in his footsteps. "For a long time, she wants to get into drama and acting. So she didn't even do some of the science GCSE that she needs to do [for biology]. And I remember one evening she rang me up, and she said, 'Oh, can I come round? I need to talk to you about something.'
"And I thought, 'She's going to have split up with her boyfriend or something,' that sort of air about it. And when she came out of the kitchen, she said, 'I've changed my mind.' I said, 'Changed your mind about what?' and she said, 'I've just decided that I don't want to do drama anymore. I want to do biology.'"
Is Chris married?
Chris' girlfriend is Isle of Wight zoo owner Charlotte Corney. He first met her while working on a programme that was filmed at the zoo. Despite their long relationship, Chris and Charlotte live apart and have no plans to marry. When asked whether the couple would ever marry on The Different Minds podcast, Chris said: "I would say no. It’s all about animals at the moment, we have to concentrate on them. 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."
What is Chris' problem with I'm A Celebrity?
In the past, Chris has been quick to criticise ITV reality show, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! for its mistreatment of animals. In 2019, he told The Metro that he contacts the broadcaster "every year" about the series.
Explaining, Chris said: "The time I spend making TV programmes I’m trying to engender an affinity for life. It’s not just about the cute and the cuddly, it’s about everything because everything is necessary. So it’s about snakes, it’s about spiders, it’s about cockroaches.
"What I object to on the programme is the ongoing stereotyping of these animals as being things which are dirty, disgusting, poisonous, dangerous and so on and so forth. And that’s counter productive to everything that I do.
"We don’t have wild animals in the circus any more, we don’t like animals being used for that sort of entertainment any more. So why would we countenance it on a TV programme?"
The second episode of Inside Our Autistic Minds airs on BBC Two on Tuesday, February 21. Catch up on episode one on BBC iPlayer now. For more showbiz and television stories, get our newsletter here.
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