BAFTA-winning naturalist and wildlife host, 48-year-old Steve Backshall, lives in Berkshire with his double Olympic gold medalist wife, Helen Glover, and their children, Logan, triplets, and two-year-old twins Kit and Willow.
The natural world has given me everything I have in my life. Now that I’m a parent, the wild is much stronger, much stronger, because I see everything through the eyes of my children.
Steve Backshall, 48, a BAFTA award-winning naturalist and wildlife presenter from Berkshire, says his attitude towards risk has changed since he had children.
I’ve made 13 or 14 trips since I became a father, and being away for long periods of time in potentially dangerous situations has been emotionally draining. I sit on SatPhone every chance I get to find out what’s going on at home because I know kids this age can change their personalities in six weeks in one weekend. Near the end of an expedition, I’m now wondering, “Is there a way to catch the plane an hour early?”
My attitude towards risk has also changed. When I was twenty, I almost threw myself at things because they were dangerous. I’ve done rock climbing, cave diving and white water rafting but there’s a line I won’t cross anymore. While on an expedition to Colombia to a controversial area where it all might have started, I thought, “No, it’s not worth it.”
However, I think all risks are relative. Helen is as cheeky as I am and our happy place is the Isles of Scilly, where we are both Wildlife Trust ambassadors. Last year, when Logan was two and the twins were just one year old, we kayaked around them for 11 hours with the little ones between our legs.
Many parents may look at this and think we’re crazy, but I’m a qualified kayak expedition leader and I follow him every minute. Helen’s not bad in the water either. It was one of the most special days of my life.
It’s about balancing outcome and probability. I’m looking at the worst that could happen, how likely it is, and what the payoff is. This is how I approached Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. Some of the things I do risk death, but what was the worst that could happen in Strictly? Craig Revel Horwood might make a somewhat derogatory comment about my Cha Cha Cha. This is just not important.
- Steve Backshall will host the UK premiere of Seven Worlds One Planet Live In Concert at London’s O2 Arena on 31 March. Visit seven-worlds-one-planet-live.co.uk for cards.
Source: Daily Mail
