I fell into wildlife presenting. People think I’m an expert but I didn’t even do biology at school

came out of the blue.

There have been world tours before with different people playing the role of palaeontologist Huxley, but I’m the only female who has done it. because they only come into contact with them in a zoo.

When I’m that far away it is not a problem, but up close, especially when I’m with orphan elephants and their trunks and saliva, I am sneezing and my eyes are swollen. It’s bizarre. OLLY is used to my being away. He’s not phased at all. I try and show him what I’ve been doing when I get back. It would be different if he was here in the UK and he was going to school and there were people saying ‘I saw your mum on the television.’ He’s a little bit removed from all that back home. I WAS bitten by a lemur in Madagascar. It was not that dramatic, but it drew blood and they were concerned that the lemurs could have rabies. I’d had a pre-exposure jab, but I had to have a post-exposure jab so the good old BBC sent me to the NHS casualty.

I sat in casualty for three hours and then they started laying out a bed.

I asked the nurse what they were doing and they looked at the notes again and said ‘Oh, bitten by a lemur. I thought it said broken femur.” (Laughs) I could have left hospital with my leg in plaster instead of just getting a jab.

WALKING With Dinosaurs The Arena Special opens its new world tour in the UK on July 20. Go to dinosaurlive.com for ticket details.