Inside the life of Winterwatch Chris Packham from famous sister to zoo owning partner
Naturalist Chris Packham is best known for being the face of the BBC's nature coverage, having been a presenter for Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch for more than 10 years.
A busy man, Chris has also written a number of books and has been involved with a number of other TV programmes namely The Really Wild Show, Birdwatch and Blue Planet Live.
Currently, Chris Packham is presenting Winterwatch from RSPB Arne on the shores of Poole Harbour alongside Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams.
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Chris also has a close relationship with his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin, who is also a zoologist and nature presenter. The pair have featured on Chris and Meg's Wild Summer alongside as Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.
Beyond his life in front of the camera, his private life and his royal links through his famous sister are perhaps less known.
Early life and career breakthrough of Chris Packham
Chris Packham was born on May 4, 1961 and grew up in the city of Southampton. Educated at Bitterne Park Scondary School and Taunton's College, the presenter continued his studies in the city after leaving college as he completed a Zoology degree from the University of Southampton.
Chris Packham would go on to get a job as a wildlife cameraman before beginning to present shows in the 80s, with his first big gig as a presenter on new children's wildlife show The Really Wild Show in 1986.
It was in 2009 that the star became a regular on the BBC after being given the co-presenting role for Springwatch. He has since presented a number of documentaries, including Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?, Dogs in the Wild: Meet the Family and Chris Packham: A Walk That Made Me.
Chris Packham's famous sister
What many people may not know however is that his sister is one of the country's most successful designers and has seen her items worn by a range of famous faces.
Jenny Packham has had her own label for over 30 years and has seen her designs used on James Bond films Die Another Day and Casino Royale and on television shows Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.
She has also designed at least eight dresses for the Duchess of Cambridge, including the stunning gold gown she recently wore to the No Time to Die premiere. Other famous faces to wear her designs include Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston and Keira Knightley.
Chris Packham's autism diagnosis and how he helped others
Following sessions with a therapist in 2005, then 44-year-old Chris Packham was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Personal diaries by the nature presenter suggested Chris knew he had autistic traits, but it was this formal diagnosis that was life-changing for him.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: "I grew up in the Sixties and Seventies when the condition wasn’t widely known, certainly by my parents and teachers.
"So by the time I’d got to the beginning of my teens, and certainly into the early part of my 20s, my mental health issues were quite considerable.
"I loathed myself, I thought that I was broken. Clearly, I was in a lesser cohort than most other people, so I blamed myself for everything that was going wrong."
Chris spoke about his condition in the documentary film Aspergers And Me in 2017, and he later fronted a BBC series called Inside Our Autistic Minds.
The series saw the presenter help a group of autistic people create short films to reveal to their family and friends how they’re truly feeling inside and what’s really going on in their autistic minds.
Chris Packham's partner and home life
Chris Packham is currently in a relationship with Charlotte Corney, who runs and owns Wildheart Animal Sanctuary. The couple previously spoke about having no plans to marry or live together.
When asked whether the couple would ever marry on The Different Minds podcast, Chris said: "I would say no. It’s all about animals at the moment, we have to concentrate on them. Her tigers are old, my dog Scratchy is old. It’s not about us, we have to get through this period basically of aged animals."
Speaking about their relationship and how it is affected by his autism diagnosis in his 40s, Chris told The Guardian why his relationship with Charlotte was 'different' after previous girlfriends had all fizzled out between five and seven years.
He said: "They all reached their full term because, as much as I was dealing socially with my neurodiversity, I wasn’t dealing with it at home. I couldn’t let my guard down and that was always very challenging for my partners.
"I have slightly better control of my obsessive personality now. That means I don’t totally expose Charlotte to my obsessions and force her to be part of them, which is what I did in past relationships – while at the same time being pretty unforgiving when partners wanted me to do anything they valued and I didn’t."
Chris Packham was previously married to NHS nurse Jo McCubbin, who had Megan McCubbin from another relationship. The pair divorced in 2008, but Chris and Megan are still close together.
It is not known where Chris Packham lives in the New Forest, however he is believed to live in a cottage with his two dogs Sid and Nancy.
In October 2021, the presenter revealed that hate campaigners blew up a Land Rover outside the front gate of his Hampshire property. He has also previously received death threats and has had human excrement sent to his residence and dead crows tied to the fence of his New Forest property.
