He’s walked barefoot on a bed of scorpions, been within clawing distance of a cheetah and had a lion oh-so casually stroll into his tent to say a quick hello.
Now each week he even comes face to face with one of the world’s most savage and brutal creatures of all - Craig Revel Horwood.
Yet for the positive, kind-hearted, mammoth of a man that is Strictly’s Hamza Yassin, there’s little - apart from messing up his footwork - that can strike fear in his heart.
And one thing the wildlife cameraman is definitely not scared of is showing his vulnerable side.
In fact, it’s been his little moments of emotion - whether it’s whispering his heartfelt thanks to pro partner Jowitza Pryzstal or tearing up at a video message from his gran in Sudan - that have helped make him the standout star of this year’s series, the all-round nice guy fans can’t get enough of.
“It’s important for people to see men being vulnerable on TV,” says Hamza, who’s doing the charleston and waltz in tomorrow’s semi-final. “The person you see on the telly is the person I am in everyday life. I’m just a bit more emotional than others. And I don’t worry about holding back.
“I’m not emotional because I’m upset though, I’m emotional because I’m proud.”
He has a lot to be proud of - and not just his “swivel hips” that have helped him go from lesser known face to bookies’ favourite to win.
But, because - whether or not he takes home the Glitterball Trophy - he’s also been able to tackle an issue that is incredibly important to him: the public perception of dyslexia.
For having been diagnosed aged 13, it affects his reading and writing. Yet with his successful career and masters in Biological Photography and Imaging, it doesn’t mean he’s not incredibly intelligent.
And, in fact, it’s even helping him in the show.
“I would like everyone to know this dyslexia is a gift,” Hamza, 32, explains. “It is not a taboo subject. It’s not something that we should be shy about.
“It’s just about how your brain works. My dyslexia allows me to see the world in a different way. It’s given me the ability to listen, I can tell birds from small differences in their calls.
“I’ve got a photographic memory. I remember the first thing you were wearing when I met you.
“And when we start a new routine Jowitza does the dance by herself in front of me. And then I can imagine, in 3D, what I need to do.
“I also remember like, nuances of little things, and I think this is why it’s helping me with the dancing.”
He adds: “Most people work through a problem, by thinking from A to B. But we’re not thinking black and white. We’re thinking grey, green, purple, blue, orange and red!
“So we need to normalise people having dyslexia and advocate for dyslexic people - to prove to them you can achieve anything in life that you want.”
Hamza’s possibly explained more about dyslexia in one conversation than MP Matt Hancock did in his entire stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle. And all Hamza had to do to get our attention was learn a good Cha Cha, rather than chomp on some inexplicable delicacy of kangaroo privates.
So what did he - a son of doctors invited to move here from Sudan, when Hamza was eight - think of him of the controversial ex-health secretary’s stint on I’m A Celeb? And has Hancock been in touch, considering his Dyslexia Bill is set to run out of time in parliament?
The perennial nice guy that Hamza is, he’s not one to criticise.
“I’ve not been in contact with anybody really,” he says, diplomatically. “To be perfectly honest. I’ve not watched the TV in the last three months.”
To be fair, with his nine-hour training days - fuelled by “lots and lots of sweets” - hard-working Hamza barely has time for anything.
Before the show, he lived in the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula in the Scottish Highlands and had worked on nature documentaries, Countryfile and had his own CBeebies wildlife show, but was one of Strictly’s lesser-known faces.
Now, he and his trademark lengthy locks (uncut for 17 years) are beloved by millions.
“It absolutely been a shock to the system!” he laughs. “It’s mind-boggling, and I’m not yet used to it! It was only nature lovers and children under six who knew me beforehand!. Now I walk outside and people are like, ‘Hi Hamza!’ and I’m thinking ‘Have I seen that person before?’.”
It’s also a change of pace: he’s spent 12 years in his beloved farflung, hard-to-reach hamlet of just 150 people, one shop, a pub, and thousands of acres of countryside. Now he’s in a rented flat in London.
“At home, I’m looking out the window on a morning and seeing otters and eagles. Here I’m looking out the window and hearing car alarms and ambulances,” laughs Hamza. “I’ve missed my log fire. And I’ve missed seeing my wildlife. Being able to go out and walk the dogs, the peace and quiet... It’s the simple things in life.”
One might wonder if Jowitza’s a touch offended he’s homesick.
But the Polish pro is just as smitten with Hamza as the rest of us. It’s her second Strictly year, having previously won The Greatest Dancer, judged by Oti Mabuse. But aside from Adrian Chiles in last year’s Christmas special, Hamza’s the 28-year-old’s first celeb partner. Now she could be heading for the final.
“It would definitely be a beautiful surprise and a beautiful end of this journey,” she says. “If Hamza could lift that Glitterball with me, that would just be the best gift. He has worked so hard and showed so much commitment, I don’t think there’s anything that could reward that other than the Glitterball. But first we have to concentrate on the semi-final.”
They have an extra day this week because of the World Cup pushing the Live show to Sunday night. However they need to learn two dances - so every practice has been vital. Bizarrely, they came bottom of the leaderboard for the first time last week, despite scoring 36 / 40.
Hamza says: “You don’t expect it with a 36 but it just shows how strong the competition is.”
Of course, there’s three people in this Strictly relationship: Hamza, Jowitza and Hamza’s hair, which reaches the back of his knees (he stopped cutting it as a rebellious teen and it takes “four hours to dry”).
So could he ever be convinced to cut it? What if Craig would finally become the last judge to give them a 10?
“No, definitely not. My hair is my - I don’t want to say my identity - but it’s who I am,” he says.
“It’s a big part of me - and I wouldn’t change any parts of my body.”
Who knows, like Samson, it could also be key to his strength and fortune.
He was young when his family left the busy home they shared with his aunt and cousins in Sudan - “we could have our own football team” - for a new home in Northampton, on an invite from Royal College of Medicine.
Unable to speak English, he fell in love with nature documentaries. That coupled with his dyslexia, saw him turn down a place to study dentistry and follow his dream to study zoology. Since then, Hamza and his hair have found themselves in plenty of hairy work situations over the years.
“I was walking around barefoot in Africa, on a gravel road, not realising it was covered in scorpions,” he says. “Then, I’ve had a lion walk into my tent and I’ve been about a foot away from a cheetah who was on top of my car. It’s a lot of fun!”
His love of work might just be about to break his heart though.
For with talk of his own nature show after Strictly, Hamza’s preparing to move down to London.
“There’s a very big possibility that’s going to happen, yes. For sure,” he says.
“Now more people know who I am, jobs are coming up, so it’ll make life a lot easier.”
But.... in an ideal world, he’ll also keep his Scottish home, which will be a relief to “Scottish parents” Chris and Amanda and “Scottish sister” Gayle, who took him under their wing when he arrived in 2011 to build up his photography portfolio. He spent 11 months living in his car and washing in the community centre - the one where everyone now gathers to watch Strictly on a projector.
“I will always have my Scottish family,” smiles Hamza. “They’re my backbone. They keep me grounded and give me confidence.
“I’ll forever have them in my mind and be close to them.”
At least it’s warmer down south.
“I love the cold weather!” he says. “So leaving Africa was kind of like a blessing in disguise for me!”
And for us Strictly fans too, Hamza.
**The semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing is on Sunday night at 7.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer
