Animal lover Chris Packham has revealed the touching tribute he wants to pay to his late dogs Itchy and Scratchy, who he has credited with being there for him in his "darkest moments".
The naturalist, 60, says he wants his ashes to be mixed with his pets' saying his relationship with the canine pair "bordered on dependency".
Speaking to the Radio Times he said: ""When I die I'll be cremated and my ashes will be mixed with Itchy and Scratchy.
"My ashes will become part of the soil. I'll become part of the fabric of my dogs and of the woods we loved so much."
Black miniature poodles Itchy and Scratchy died in 2016 and 2019 respectively and Chris has previously credited the canine pair with helping him cope with autism.
He said: "Sometimes I could just laugh or cry with happiness watching them run. Itchy, Scratchy and I were a very powerful triangular relationship."
Enlarging further on his plans to be reunited with his dogs Chris explained that they would be scattered beneath a tree in the New Forest.
Taking a non-spiritual approach to the process he said he simply likes "the idea of our carbon molecules being mixed together, growing into a tree that gets eaten by a caterpillar that, in turn, is eaten by a blue tit, which is eaten by a sparrowhawk."
The Really Wild Show star, has previously opened up about his struggles of living with autism saying that because he wasn’t diagnosed with Asperger's until he was in his 40s, his teenage years were torture and by the time he was 20 his “world was black”.
Speaking on Loose Women, Chris said by the time he got to university he had decided that to protect himself from the trauma of dealing with other people he would lock himself in his room and only leave to go to lectures.
Chris admitted on the show: “My teens were so bad that I thought about killing myself. The level of depression and isolation I felt was unbearable.
“For nearly a year, the only thing I said was ‘20 pence please’ twice a day to the bus conductor.”
Despite his struggle with autism the broadcaster has gone on to have a stellar career as one of Britain's best loved naturists and said because of the work he's done on TV he has "a duty to use that voice to make things better for other people.”
One of the main drawbacks of Asperger's is having difficulty in social situations, which can include problems making or maintaining friendships, isolation or minimal interaction in social situations.
However there are often many positives to take from the condition like brilliant memories - Chris said he can still remember the facts by rote he read when he was six years old.
He said at the time: “It shouldn’t be those with Asperger’s that need to change. People just need to be more understanding.”
