Tortoise revels in shell-ebrity status after beach walks

Mr Miyagi is an African sulcata tortoise, one of the larger species

A woman who has become well known for taking her tortoise therapy pet on walks along the beach has said she "doesn't know where I'd be" without her unusual companion.

Jackie Leek is regularly spotted in Morecambe, Lancashire, with Mr Miyagi, her eight-year-old African sulcata tortoise.

The retired nurse, who has myeloma, which is a type of bone marrow cancer, said she was lonely before she acquired the affable reptile, which measures 1.6ft (50cm) from nose to tail.

"It sounds daft but he is more than a tortoise to me. He's my life. I adore him," she said.

The 58-year-old, who is originally from Wigan but now lives in Warrington, Cheshire, said: "He is always there. I talk to him if something’s on my mind. I'll sit on the floor with him and tell him what's going on."

Mr Miyagi, who weighs one stone (6.3kg), eats a varied diet and even has a special crate in Ms Leek's car.

She said she feeds the pet romaine lettuce, a special type of hay and dandelions and also a "the odd treat of a strawberry or a green bean".

Jackie Leek said Mr Miyagi is "always there for me"

"He's a creature of habit and at 5pm he will retire to bed and not get up until eight," she said.

"I don't know where I'd be without him. I've trained him to come when I shout him and he comes and sits with me.

"He's the one that sees my bad days that nobody else sees."

However, Ms Leek added there were times when owning Mr Miyagi could prove a challenge - including moments when he "tries to rearrange the furniture or trash the garden".

"I tell him off and he's a good boy for the next few weeks. He knows," she said.

And, with the species having a life expectancy which can exceed 70 years, she said she has had to consider what the long term future could hold.

"We don’t know how long I have but I have left money with him," she said.

"I'm hoping one of my family members takes him but if not I have left him some money and I'm sure someone will love him as much as I do."