Big Week at the Zoo
Lucy-jo Hudson on how feeding giraffes on the set of Wild at Heart inspired her to celebrate the work of British zoos...
Big Week at the Zoo Monday-friday / CHANNEL 5 / 8PM
Could the definition of love be giving a giraffe a neck massage? This is the question TV Times is left pondering after a lovely interview with Lucy-jo Hudson about Channel 5’s week-long celebration of British zoos.
Lucy-jo, 35, is the perfect candidate to be a roving reporter for the series. As Rosie Trevanion in ITV’S Wild at Heart, she frequently worked alongside wild animals.
‘I don’t know what it is about giraffes, I just love them!’ says Lucy-jo, who is currently playing Hollyoaks’ disturbed Donna-marie.
‘On my first day on the set of Wild at Heart, I fed giraffes from a bucket while sitting in the back of a truck. From then, I’ve been in awe of them. They’re beautiful creatures, so gentle and calm. So when I got involved in Big Week at the Zoo,
I asked to work with giraffes.’
The series, presented by Countryfile’s Helen Skelton and Springwatch: Unsprung’s Nick Baker, is based at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and other celebrity contributors include JLS singerturned-turkey-farmer JB Gill and The Yorkshire Vet’s Peter Wright.
Over five episodes, the team will also link up with various partner zoos across the UK, including Chessington, Colchester and Edinburgh.
Here, Lucy-jo tells us more…
How did you find working with the giraffes?
I got a full day with them at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. I was feeding giraffes, mucking out and assisting in moving them. I also helped massage older giraffe Behansin. He has a lot of back pain and a bit of arthritis, so the keepers massage him daily. It’s blooming hard work – it takes a team of people, a big vibrating machine and some ladders!