Hamza Yassin was crowned the BBC series winner in 2022 with Jowita Przystal
Hamza Yassin appeared on BBC’s The One Show(Image: BBC)
A Strictly Come Dancing winner has admitted that he ‘immediately started crying’ and ‘struggled so much’ in school.
Prior to blind comedian Chris McCausland lifting the Glitterball trophy last year and Ellie Leach doing the same the year period, wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin was crowned the winner of the 2022 series of the BBC dancing competition.
After securing a degree in zoology from Bangor University and a masters in biological photography and imaging from the University of Nottingham, Hamza rose to fame on CBeebies show Let’s Go For a Walk.
Going to land a number of his own nature documentaries and guest present series including Countrylife, Hamza won the hearts of the nation on the 20th season of Strictly.
Paired with Jowita Przystal, Hamza overcame stiff competition in the final from Fleur East and Vito Coppola, Helen Skelton and Gorka Márquez, and Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu
Appearing on The One Show on Thursday (October 9), Hamza spoke to Alex Jones and Roman Kemp about struggling with his dyslexia earlier in life.
“I classify myself as the king of the dyslexics. Through school, I struggled so much. Until an incredible lady called Mrs Strange said to me, ‘Hamza, I think you’re dyslexic’.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Jowita Przystal and Hamza Yassin(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
“I immediately started crying, and went, ‘Well, what is that?’ She said, ‘You find it hard to read and write?’ and I’m like ‘Well yes, doesn’t everyone?’ but then she goes, ‘There’s superpowers to it’,” he recalled.
Opening up about the positives of having dyslexia, he added: “I’ve got a photographic memory. I remember nuances, I can do patterns. I can do so many things that dyslexia has opened up the world to me.
“And, once you realise that people like Octavia Spencer, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Branson, they’re all dyslexic. They’re incredible people.
“So, dyslexia isn’t a hindrance, it’s actually, if you know how to manipulate it, it’s a positive thing.”
Releasing books such as Let’s Go For a Walk and Homeward Bound: The Joy of Nature and My Life Outdoors, Hamza said he never thought he’d become an author.
He explained: “If you told me 15 years ago that I’m going to be writing books, I’d be like, ‘Absolutely not! Did you not know I’m dyslexic?!’ And, here I am now.
“I have my writers, Catherine and Nathan, and we all sit down and I dictate what I want to say. So, having dyslexia is not a hindrance. Try and figure out the positives that it gives you.”
The NHS says dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling.
Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected. It’s estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia.
