Hamza Yassin smiling at the camera

‘It’s not really a hindrance’

Hamza Yassin, whose show, Hamza’s Highlands, airs tonight (Sunday, February 22), once opened up about a disability that he has that he “loves”.

The Strictly 2022 winner opened up about his disability during an interview back in October.
Hamza Yassin smiling at the cameraHamza spoke of his dyslexia (Credit: BBC)

Hamza Yassin on his dyslexia

During a chat with the Natural History Museum last year, Hamza opened up about his dyslexia and how he “loves it”.

The subject was raised when Hamza, 35, was asked, “How has dyslexia shaped your filmmaking and approach to nature?”

“I’m a very visual person, and that’s how I work and see the world. I love being dyslexic, as I think it gives me an almost photographic memory when it comes to remembering what I’ve seen,” Hamza replied.

“I thrive on picking up these patterns, and so dyslexia has been part of my success and that of so many others. World greats, such as Muhammad Ali, Richard Branson, and maybe even Sir Isaac Newton, are all dyslexic,” he then continued.
Hamza Yassin smiling looking through a cameraHamza considers his dyslexia a ‘superpower’ (Credit: BBC)

‘I love being dyslexic’

The star then continued.

“It shows that it’s not really a hindrance but a different way of looking at the world and thinking outside the box. I really want to get that message out to kids and celebrate that with them. Dyslexia is a superpower, and once they’ve figured out what they want to do with it, they can achieve anything,” he said.

Hamza is an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland and has spoken about his dyslexia in the past. During an appearance on The One Show earlier this year, Hamza branded himself the “King of the dyslexics”.

 

Hamza on his struggles with dyslexia

The star went on to say that throughout school, he “struggled” with his dyslexia.

He admitted that he was in tears when a teacher informed him that he was dyslexic and helped him come to terms with it.

“I’ve got a photographic memory. I remember nuances, I can do patterns,” he said.

“I can do so many things that dyslexia has opened the world up to me.”

He then added that dyslexia isn’t a “hindrance”, it’s “actually, if you know how to manipulate it, it’s a positive thing”.