Steve, who turned 50 this year, says he is “in bits” due to his many injuries. In 2008, he nearly died after falling 10 metres down a cliff face while rock climbing in the Forest of Dean. He broke his back, left leg, and left foot, and to this day acknowledges how lucky he was not to have died or been paralysed, but he has needed 11 operations on his ankle.
When he danced the tango to Born To Be Wild with Ola Jordan on Strictly in 2014, he was suffering from a terrible ankle issue that has plagued him ever since. “I’ve got a fused left ankle, and a right ankle and right knee which is playing up, and my left shoulder is giving up. I am 50 now and in bits. “When I was rock climbing I had my closest brush with death when I lost my footing.
The safety lines I had put into the rockface all ripped out and I fell about 10 metres on to the rock below. I’m very, very lucky to be here. “But that’s a long time ago now. I made a firm decision before Strictly that it wasn’t going to be about my ankle. I wasn’t going to moan about it. I didn’t want to go in there using it as a massive excuse.
“But the reality is that it is still as excruciatingly painful all these years later, and I will always have issues with it. It’s a miracle I can still walk. I have had 11 operations on my ankle alone. That’s a really big reason why things like yoga will have to be a part of my life for the rest of my life. “I have turned 50 and I’ve had a lot of injuries over the years that are taking a lot of getting around, so general all-purpose fitness is important.
“Otherwise, I am going to seize up and stop working.”
Steve is a BAFTA award-winning naturalist, author and TV presenter, best known for CBBC’s popular wildlife programme Deadly 60 in which he tracks down 60 of the world’s deadliest animals. He has been diving with great white sharks, caught a king cobra, handled a redback spider and been bitten by a crocodile. He will examine the secret world of badgers in a new TV show, and has a new book and tour for his army of fans. But despite every- thing he has achieved, he is still frequently confused for Bear Grylls, another of the UK’s daring explorers. “The number of times they just won’t take no for an answer…,” chuckles Steve. “They say, ‘I know it’s you, you’re Bear Grylls’, Or it’s ‘Bear, can I have an autograph?’. Sometimes you have to say, ‘All right, then’.”
● Badgers: Their Secret World on My5. Deep Blue: My Ocean Journeys is out now, published in hardback by Witness Books. For tickets for Steve’s tour, visit: stevebackshall.com
AFTER travelling around the world and facing many death-defying challenges, wildlife expert and explorer Steve Backshall admits that life on the edge has taken a grim toll on his body. Steve, who turned 50 this year, says he is “in bits” due to his many injuries. In 2008, he nearly died after falling 10 metres down a cliff face while rock climbing in the Forest of Dean. He broke his back, left leg, and left foot, and to this day acknowledges how lucky he was not to have died or been paralysed, but he has needed 11 operations on his ankle. When he danced the tango to Born To Be Wild with Ola Jordan on Strictly in 2014, he was suffering from a terrible ankle issue that has plagued him ever since. “I’ve got a fused left ankle, and a right ankle and right knee which is playing up, and my left shoulder is giving up. I am 50 now and in bits. “When I was rock climbing I had my closest brush with death when I lost my footing. The safety lines I had put into the rockface all ripped out and I fell about 10 metres on to the rock below. I’m very, very lucky to be here. “But that’s a long time ago now. I made a firm decision before Strictly that it wasn’t going to be about my ankle. I wasn’t going to moan about it. I didn’t want to go in there using it as a massive excuse. “But the reality is that it is still as excruciatingly painful all these years later, and I will always have issues with it. It’s a miracle I can still walk. I have had 11 operations on my ankle alone. That’s a really big reason why things like yoga will have to be a part of my life for the rest of my life. “I have turned 50 and I’ve had a lot of injuries over the years that are taking a lot of getting around, so general all-purpose fitness is important. Otherwise, I am going to seize up and stop working.” Steve is a BAFTA award-winning naturalist, author and TV presenter, best known for CBBC’s popular wildlife programme Deadly 60 in which he tracks down 60 of the world’s deadliest animals. He has been diving with great white sharks, caught a king cobra, handled a redback spider and been bitten by a crocodile. He will examine the secret world of badgers in a new TV show, and has a new book and tour for his army of fans. But despite every- thing he has achieved, he is still frequently confused for Bear Grylls, another of the UK’s daring explorers. “The number of times they just won’t take no for an answer…,” chuckles Steve. “They say, ‘I know it’s you, you’re Bear Grylls’, Or it’s ‘Bear, can I have an autograph?’. Sometimes you have to say, ‘All right, then’.” ● Badgers: Their Secret World on My5. Deep Blue: My Ocean Journeys is out now, published in hardback by Witness Books. For tickets for Steve’s tour, visit: stevebackshall.com
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