Hamza Yassin is swapping the great outdoors for the ballroom as one of the 15 celebrities who have signed up for the 2022 edition of Strictly Come Dancing. The wildlife cameraman and presenter was the thirteenth celebrity contestant confirmed for the BBC One dance contest's 20th series.
He will be vying for the Glitterball trophy this year, going up against the lists of presenter Helen Skelton, Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds, Bros star Matt Goss, EastEnders actor James Bye, singer and radio host Fleur East, and Kiss FM's Tyler West.
Hazma and his fellow celebrities will be hoping to impress the Strictly judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas as they all return to cast an expert eye over the performances
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As already mentioned, Hazma is a wildlife cameraman and presenter and is known for being one of the presenters of BBC’s Animal Park and a guest presenter on BBC’s Countryfile where he shares his vast knowledge and camera skills.
Hamza is also well known to younger viewers under the guise of Ranger Hamza, presenting CBeebies live-action show Let’s Go For A Walk and his new series Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest.
The 32-year-old moved to the Scottish Highlands when he was younger to follow his dream of filming Scottish wildlife and becoming a wildlife cameraman. He has lived there ever since and recently fronted Channel 4 documentary Scotland: My Life in the Wild and Scotland: Escape to the Wilderness.
After being announced on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show, he said: "I am absolutely over the moon to be joining Strictly 2022. Never in a million years did I think I’d be on such a cool show."
And he has since shared the poignant reason behind his decision to say 'yes' to the show this year. He said: "I really wanted to take part because anywhere you go in the UK, everybody knows about it and loves it. Also because I am severely dyslexic, I really want to take this opportunity to show kids who are dyslexic that it’s not a hinderance it’s a gift."
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