Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin opened up about a struggle he faced in his younger years during an appearance on The One Show

A former Strictly Come Dancing star has revealed he was left “crying” due to a struggle he faced at in his younger years.

Wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin opened up during an appearance on The One Show tonight (October 9), after the hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp asked him about his dyslexia.

“I classify myself as the king of the dyslexics,” the Strictly Come Dancing winner joked. “Through school, I struggled so much.”

He recalled the moment he found out he had dyslexia, saying: “Until an incredible lady called Mrs Strange said to me, ‘Hamza, I think you’re dyslexic’. 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’.”

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Hamza opened up about his struggles on The One Show (Image: BBC)

Highlighting the positives of having dyslexia, Hamza continued: “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.”

The photographer also shared how he hasn’t let his dyslexia stop him from writing books, having penned numerous throughout his career so far, including Let’s Go For a Walk and Homeward Bound: The Joy of Nature and My Life Outdoors.

“If you told me 15 years ago that I’m going to be writing books, I’d be like, ‘Asbolutely not! Did you not know I’m dyslexic?!’ And, here I am now!” he proudly told Alex and Roman.

Hamza added: “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.”

Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal after winning Strictly Come Dancing 2022 (Image: PA)

Hamza was supported through his studies after his diagnosis and eventually went on to achieve a degree in zoology from Bangor University and a masters in biological photography and imaging from the University of Nottingham.

He then found fame on CBeebies show Let’s Go For a Walk, before going on to front documentaries and guest present shows such as Countryfile. In 2022, he won Strictly Come Dancing.

Hamza’s latest project has been unveiled as new four-part BBC series, Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles.