From A “Cottage Lie” To National Treasure — Hamza Yassin Opens Up About The Hidden Year He Spent Homeless, Determined To Protect His Family And Keep Dreaming

It all worked out in the end for Hamza Yassin — but few fans know just how close he came to giving up on his dream.

Hamza lived in his car for a while in his 20s (Credit: CoverImages.com)

The Strictly Come Dancing champion, 35, who appears on Countryfile this evening, once revealed that he spent almost nine months living in the back of his car in his early 20s after moving to the Highlands of Scotland.

Hamza lied to his parents about his living arrangements (Credit: BBC)

Speaking to The Guardian in 2024, Hamza admitted that when he first arrived in the remote village, he hid the truth from his parents — telling them he was living in a cosy cottage.

“When I was 21, I went on holiday with a friend to the Highlands. Two weeks later I was back there for good,” he said. “I told my parents I was living in this beautiful, quaint cottage. ‘There’s no signal,’ I’d say, ‘so don’t bother ringing — I’ll call you.’ The truth was I was living in my car, just trying to make ends meet.”

He explained how he parked at a ferry terminal, blocking the sign that warned against overnight parking.

During this time, Hamza was slowly building his wildlife career, seizing every opportunity to pick up his camera.

“I was determined not to go back to Northampton with my tail between my legs and tell my parents, ‘The dream is over,’” he admitted.

Thankfully, the gamble paid off.

In the same interview, he revealed that while juggling housekeeping jobs, he was also photographing otters, eagles, pine martens, dolphins, whales and red deer.

“That period taught me everything I needed to know about the profession,” he said.

Speaking to The Times in November 2025, Hamza confessed the hardest part about living in his car was avoiding being spotted.

“I’d wake up at 8am pretending I was going on the ferry. It turned out the locals knew, but they never questioned me. I didn’t have a fridge. I showered at a campsite.”

Asked whether he found it difficult being a Black man in the countryside, he replied simply:
“The wildlife doesn’t care. People were curious, not suspicious. They’d just ask, ‘What are you doing here?’”

Now settled in a stunning coastal home, Hamza says life feels very different.

“The sea is about 20 metres in front of the house,” he said. “I see dolphins, orcas, eagles, red deer, otters — I felt like I’d conquered the world.”

Yet he hasn’t forgotten how he once survived west-coast winters with nothing more than double hoodies and duvets.

“That’s what wildlife camera operators do,” he added. “We go to remote places where there isn’t a Four Seasons hotel.”