Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza thanks uni for dyslexia help

Hamza Yassin studied zoology with conservation at Bangor University

Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin has thanked his former university for help with dyslexia.

The CBeebies presenter returned to deliver a lecture at Bangor University for the first time since lifting the glitterball trophy last year.

Hamza said attitudes towards his severe dyslexia allowed him to achieve a zoology degree.

"They didn't even see it as a hurdle. It was just 'OK you've got dyslexia, we can help you out with this'," he said.

Hamza, who is also a camera operator and spent the last two years working on David Attenborough's Wild Isles series, was given an honorary master's degree from Bangor University last summer.

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He returns to Bangor every year, giving lectures to conservation practice students in their second year.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, he said he would speak to students about how he became a wildlife filmmaker "because there isn't really a set route on how to become a camera operator with the natural history department".

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"It's just little nuggets of information, what I did that got me to where I am now," he said. "It shows the students an ex-student who followed his dream really and is doing the job that he loves the most."

Hamza, who moved to Northampton from Sudan aged eight, said he "fell in love" with natural world during his time in Bangor.

"It's surrounded by the most beautiful landscape you could imagine, with Snowdonia about ten miles away, Anglesey just across the water of the Menai Strait," he said.

"You've got cetaceans everywhere with the bird life at South Stack. It was the perfect university to go to to learn anything that's to do with marine biology or zoology.

"It's an honour to be able to speak to people about my love of the natural world, and why we need to look after it," he said.