AS someone who has fronted shows such as Nightmares of Nature and Live and Deadly, Naomi Wilkinson knows all about scary animals.

From dodging prides of lions in Africa, slippery snakes in Asia, and hairy spiders in Australia, there's not a lot that phases her these days.

Although that wasn't always the case.

"I used to be petrified of spiders and sharks," she tells me. "Just the mere thought of them used to make me into a shivering wreck.

"But through my encounters with these animals, and most importantly re-educating myself about them, I realised I got all my facts wrong about them. Learning to understand how they are in the wild made me look at these magnificent animals in a very different light.

“For me I’ve had a huge journey trying to overcome a phobia of sharks. Obviously, when you tell the production team you have a serious fear of something they literally throw you in the deep end with the sharks.

“I wouldn’t say I’m cured but I have certainly made massive progress in overcoming my fear. Initially, I couldn’t look at a photograph of one in a book.”

Now she has swum with seven species of them.

“I’m doing pretty well facing that fear," she adds, "I’ve really changed my whole perspective and outlook on sharks and that is quite a big message I want to get across that you can overcome your fears.”

That's one of the big messages she's hoping to convey as well as part of her latest live touring show, Wild and Scary.

As part of the nationwide tour the presenter will be reliving her most frightening and scary experiences she has had on the show and the weird, dangerous and scary creatures she has met along the way.

“There will be plenty of audience participation, silliness just fun for all the family,” says Naomi, who is also a regular presenter on BBC1’s Countryfile.

“They always say don’t work with children or animals in live situations, but I love it.

“I’ll be helped with expert ‘Animal Mark’ and what he doesn’t know about animals is not worth knowing. There’s going to be lots of creepy crawlies, things that might get some people squirming or closing their eyes but hopefully we can encourage people to get over those fears.”

Animal Mark is zoologist Mark Amey, who has been a lifelong keeper and breeder of exotic pets. He has worked on countless TV shows and films looking after amazing animals including the Harry Potter films, Casino Royale and Nanny McPhee.

Born in Bristol Naomi tells me her dream from a very early age was to become a presenter on children's television.

"I wrote it down in a diary somewhere," she says, "when I was aged nine and that's all I've wanted to do."

Starting off like all good television stars as a Redcoat at Butlin's, her first foray into the world of television was on Channel 5's Milkshake.

"The producer of Live and Deadly saw me on Milkshake," Naomi explains. "They needed someone who had done live telly before and could interact with the children while Steve Backshall was the animal expert on the show. I loved doing it."

That led to her getting her own spin-off show Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature, which has seen her present items in some of the world's most far flung places.

She says: “Yes I'm travelling out of a suitcase all the time and occasionally the toilets are really disgusting but all joking aside that's a pretty small price to pay to do the job I have. I feel so lucky because the team gets quite privileged access to some of the creatures and places. I’m quite often pinching myself when I'm standing somewhere looking out and I can’t quite believe where I am.

"It's an amazing job travelling all over the world but then I also love doing these touring shows. I helped out when Steve Backshall did his tour but I'm really looking forward to doing my own. To be in front of the audience that watches the television programme and to be able to introduce them to these frightening animals and see their reaction is going to be great fun.

"I'm a little like the audience, learning as I go along, so it's great having Mark there to help me answer the questions I do not know, which I'm sure will be most of them. But I'm finding out stuff all the time."

So seeing as her new show is called Wild and Scary just exactly what has been Naomi's most Wild and Scary moment.

“The production team always test me when we’re filming the show,” she admits. "They always find something I’m genuinely afraid of and they often like to throw me in the deep end – quite literally.

“One of the most terrifying was when I went out to watch a pride of lions at night in the Kalahari desert.

"It was for the last series of Nightmares of Nature and we were sat in this open Jeep. It was completely pitch black so although I could hear them as they got up close, I couldn't actually see them. I think the lions began to think about dinner because they were making quite a bit of noise and I was pretty convinced I was going to be on the menu. I've never been so scared in all my life, I’m just glad we turned the engine off and they eventually went on their way.”

Naomi Wilkinson: Wild and Scary Tour

Charter Hall,

Leisure World, Colchester.

April 7. 2pm.

£19.50 adults, £15.50 children. 01206 573948.

www.colchester-events.co.uk

also at:

Regent Theatre,

St Helen's Street, Ipswich.

April 15. 2.30pm.

£21. 01473 433100.

www.ipswichregent.com