THERE’S no doubt that Stephen Tompkinson has an affinity with animals.
Talk to anyone linked to Wild At Heart and they’ll tell you how good he is with all creatures great and small out in the African bush.
Even when he’s back home in Britain, he rings up to check how those in a local animal sanctuary are getting on.
It can probably be traced back to his childhood, when the Tompkinson family had a pet beagle dog and a rabbit.
“We also had a tortoise that managed to escape from the garden, somehow,” he told us recently.
“It was all over in a flash – moved too quickly for us,” he laughed.
“My dad said I’ve never had any fear of animals and would always go up to strange dogs and manage to avoid being bitten.
“This is just on a much bigger scale.”

But filming in South Africa for close to six months every year does have some drawbacks.
“I’ve missed English summers for the last three years, such as they are.
“I’m a big cricket fan, so I only get to see the cricket on the TV, which is a bit of a bind.
“As far as Africa is concerned, I’ve never been to any country like it, where the whole earth seems to breathe.
“I’m completely smitten with the whole experience.”
You can read more about Stephen in the online version of yesterday’s MEN TV feature – the link is immediately below.
Stephen Feels Heat In The Wild
Amanda’s Tearful Farewell
Wild At Heart Wedding Shock
Wild At Heart: Ashley Pharoah
Wild At Heart: Amanda Holden