BBC presenter and climate activist Chris Packham has opened up about his experience of maintaining a romantic relationship while living with autism. The Springwatch host, 63 has been with zookeeper Charlotte Corney, 47, for over 17 years – but he did not reveal his autism until three years into the relationship. In a new interview with The Guardian , the passionate naturalist, who recently called out Taylor Swift for her private jet consumption, opened up about the benefits and challenges that neurodiversity posed to their relationship.
“I can’t love Charlotte 99.9 per cent. That doesn’t exist in my world,” he said.
“I can only offer Charlotte 100 per cent of myself – or 0 per cent. “The 100 per cent commitment, which has previously been suffocating in relationships, is something which I hope gives Charlotte a degree of security.” Packham said he had “forced” previous partners to be part of his “obsessions” and admitted he had been “pretty unforgiving when partners wanted me to do anything they valued and I didn’t”.
Reflecting on the experience, he added: “I felt that I was right and what they were asking me to do was entirely unnecessary. If I did what they asked me to do, I did it under duress: I sat in the corner and didn’t communicate or got completely wrecked and said entirely inappropriate things.” But he has learned to do things differently with Corney.
“Now I just refuse to do things I don’t want to do: I don’t go to the wed.