THE REALITY BEHIND HAMZA YASSIN’S RISE — A STRUGGLE NO ONE SAW COMING Few people knew that the man who once lifted Strictly’s glitterball trophy was actually homeless, sleeping in his car for nearly a year… and even pretending to “catch the morning ferry” just to hide it from the whole village. From living in the back of an old Vauxhall — no shower, no fridge — to standing in the national spotlight… and surviving on just £50 a month, Hamza says this journey was something “no one could ever imagine.”
Hamza has made his home in the Scottish Highlands(BBC/Silverback Films/Chris Howard)
Strictly Come Dancing champion Hamza Yassin, now celebrated for his peaceful life in the windswept Scottish Highlands, has revealed the brutal truth of his past: he was once left homeless, forced to live in the back of a car for nine long months before finally upgrading to a caravan without heating or running water.
Hamza has become a pro in front of as well as behind the camera(The Camping & Caravaning Club)
Hamza, 35, who lifted the glitterball trophy with partner Jowita Przystal in 2022, now lives in a seaside cottage on the Ardamurchan Peninsula. But before the fame, before Countryfile, and long before national recognition, the BBC wildlife cameraman was secretly fighting to survive.
Speaking to The Times, the Sudan-born presenter admitted:
“I was living in my Vauxhall seven-seater car for nine months when I first turned up.”
To hide his situation from locals, he would wake each day pretending to catch a ferry to nearby islands.
Hamza lifted Jowita – and the glitterball – in 2022(PA)
Born in Sudan and raised in Northampton from age eight, Hamza fell in love with wildlife as a student of Zoology and Conservation. Eventually he followed his passion as far north as he could — straight into the Highlands — a decision that left him homeless before it changed his destiny.
Hamza is now living his best life as a wildlife cameraman and presenter(Channel 4)
Before securing work, Hamza survived by mowing lawns, taking wedding photographs and scraping by without a fridge or shower:
“All I needed was £50 a month,” he said, explaining he spent everything else building a library of wildlife footage to send to BBC producers — the seed that later launched his career.
After nearly a year in the car and an upgrade to a freezing caravan, Hamza finally found a permanent home: a small cottage just 20 metres from the sea, where he now films breathtaking wildlife sequences for Countryfile and Channel 4.
Just last week, viewers saw him take part in what he called a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” — helping release three Scottish wildcats back into the wild.
“These guys are absolutely phenomenal… truly wildcats,” he said.
Hamza’s rise — from sleeping in a car to becoming a beloved national figure —remains one of the most extraordinary, unexpected journeys in Strictly hist
