Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Life is different now I’m a dad.. on my last trip I was more homesick than ever
already been on his first flight, to Scotland. Steve jokes that Logie’s first words will probably be “Amelia Earhart” – the aviation pioneer – as the couple’s idea of a bedtime story is a children’ book about great adventurers by Alastair Humphreys.
“It’s important I give him the chance to be passionate about animals and sport,” he says. “If that doesn’t work and he doesn’t end up being interested in the same things as us, that’s fine.”
Speaking at the awards last night, Steve says: “This is the first night out without Logan although he is upstairs in the hotel room!”
Helen says: “I’ll be sneaking off to feed him . . . he’s just upstairs with the grandparents but yes this is our first night out away from him.” Steve adds: “The awards are massive for both of us. We are lifelong animal lovers and my very first job was working for the RSPCA when I was 12, so to come full circle and be getting an award from the RSPCA is pretty special.”
Best known for kids’ TV show Deadly 60, Steve might be having the most exciting year of his life, but he is concerned about the world Logan has been born into.
“There are so many different threats right now,” he says. “Over-population is at the heart of every one, whether climate change or habitat destruction.
Steve first became passionate about wildlife and the great outdoors when he was growing up in Bagshot, Surrey. His parents inspired his love for the natural world and travel, and after completing his A-levels he backpacked around Asia, India and Africa before reading English and theatre studies at Exeter University.
He spent time writing about Indonesia for Rough Guides before joining National Geographic as the channel’s adventurer in residence.
After training with Israeli paratroopers and catching anacondas, Steve went on to present The Really Wild Show for three years.
He met Helen, ranked No1 female rower in the world for the past three years, at a Sport Relief event in 2014.
Being married to a highly-decorated athlete keeps him in top shape for his gruelling expeditions. She helped him train for his climb of the Eiger’s north face in Switzerland for CBBC’S Steve Backshall vs The Monster Mountain.
“She encourages me,” he says. “It’s essential to stay fit, particularly when I go from white water rafting to kayaking to climbing to diving.”
Steve takes his passion for animals home, and the couple recently adopted a rescue pup from Romania.
“He is named Kai because it’s Cornish for dog and Hels is from Penzance in Cornwall,” Steve says.
But when it comes to animal heroism, there is one image for Steve – which reminds him of his wife.
“There is one moment that I will always, always remember and will always fill me with humility,” he says.
“It was in Uganda a few years ago and we were filming Vervet monkeys.
“One charged past and we stopped dead because it looked unusual, and when we looked closer we realised it was a female who’d lost her back legs.
“So she was running along on her hands in a full handstand, and she had a tiny baby grasped to her chest.
“She was living a normal life, running along in a handstand, like an Olympic gymnast with her baby clasped to her breast.
“It just made me aware animals are as capable of heroism as us humans.”
For more on Animal Hero Awards 2018: www.animalheroawards.co.uk