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Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has shared his profound devotion to nature and wildlife on the BBC show for years. It is a passion, verging on obsession, that he has harboured since childhood and shines through in every programme.

The TV host previously opened up on how his enthusiasm and fascination with the animal kingdom stems from a lifelong battle with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. While he has chronicled his delight at first discovering bugs, beetles, bats and birds in a new book about his early years, he also lays bare the devastating lows the condition drove him to. The television presenter previously described how he endured depression and twice came perilously close to taking his own life. He told the i Paper: "My dogs Itchy and Scratchy saved me from suicide twice.

"My thought was: no one's ever going to look after them as well as I do, I can't leave them. Whilst I had support from my family and maybe two other people, they couldn't reach me at that point. The only thing that was there was that unconditional, pure love from the dogs. It meant it wasn't about me."

Speaking about his suicidal thoughts, which emerged in 2003, Chris, 64, said: "Both times it was precipitated by losing my dog."

The pet in question was a one-year-old called Fish. In his book - Fingers in the Sparkle Jar - he disclosed that the sole reason he did not follow through with his plan was the knowledge that he would fail in attempting an overdose.

Just months later, with the devastating depression showing no signs of lifting, he once more felt he could not carry on.

By that point, however, his long-term partner Charlotte Corney had purchased Itchy and Scratchy for him, a decision that would ultimately save his life.

Recalling the day that triggered his decline, Chris said: "I hadn't made any mental preparation for losing Fish. The whole episode was like some ghastly movie. I'd been to the football, the dog was in the car and Charlotte said, 'He loves you so much, he loves you more that I ever could and you love him more than you'll ever love me.'

"It wasn't a derogatory remark, she was just recognising the fact that we had this incredibly close bond. She dropped us off and within 10 minutes he'd been run over and he died in my arms. And everything fell apart really, that's the bottom line.

"It was horrendous, the whole process of him dying and having to bury him. It was a mirror image of what had happened with the bird." He is referring to his kestrel Tem, which a teenage Chris had reared from a fledgling after taking him from a nest. He says "every minute was magical". Yet at 14, Chris discovered in the most painful way that he was wholly unable to cope with the death of his beloved pets. When Tem died of a mystery disease, Chris was rendered mute by the shock, unable to utter a word for days.

Chris also opened up on receiving death threats in the past, but that never intimidates him. He said: "I've had s*** through my letter box and death threats in opposition to my activism. I'll still carry on, though. It's fuel. If you're not getting flak, you're not over the target. When The Daily Telegraph is printing two articles a week slagging me off, I know I'm doing something right. It's not exactly water off a duck's back; but I'm never intimidated by it. And it never puts me off."

If you have been affected by this story, you can contact the Samaritans, call 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit https://www.samaritans.org/