Ben Fogle first made his name on the TV show Castaway and has since become one of our favourite presenters, best known for his adventurous spirit that's seen him take on challenges from climbing Everest to running desert marathons.
Most recently he's been presenting a new series of the Channel 5 show New Lives in the Wild following his adventures around the globe, visiting those who live a less-than-ordinary life in the wilderness. He's also been spending time with his wife Marina and their children Ludovic (Ludo) and Iona.
Who is Ben Fogle’s wife?
Ben married his Austrian wife Marina Hunt in 2006, they welcomed their first child Ludovic three years later.
"Marina is my favourite person in the world," says Ben. "We’ve been married for 15 years and the secret is compromise and being open-minded. Also it’s important to talk and to listen. In long-term relationships you can forget the importance of conversation and saying what you like and don’t like. It is not about changing the other person, but being respectful and remembering that you are two very different characters.
"Lockdown bound us even closer. I still try and be romantic and we have date nights. One recent night was on one of the Western Isles, taking a picnic to the highest point during sunset with a bottle of champagne."
Their daughter Iona was born in 2011 and in 2014 they tragically had a stillborn son, Willem, at 32 weeks.
The pair met whilst Ben was walking his dog in Hyde Park, London.
On how they keep a healthy marriage, Ben says, "I think it's very easy to rest on your laurels.
"I think there is a tendency to take one another for granted, that is a very dangerous place to be.
"We have a lot of friends who got married around the same time as us and are starting to fail, and I think that is a scary reminder that you have to work at everything in life, including marriage and relationships and parenting.
"They don't just happen naturally without putting in a little bit of effort. "
He didn't initially want to be a presenter
Ben was brought up in a family that loved the wild world as the son of actress Julia Foster and vet and writer, Bruce Fogle MBE. He also has two sisters, Emily and Tamara and one brother, Bill.
But presenting was never in his childhood plan.
He told Yours: "I hadn’t thought about being a presenter, as originally I wanted to follow my mother onto the stage. I applied to drama schools but sadly got rejected.
"Then, 17 years ago, I took part in a TV show called Castaway, where I lived on a remote island for a year as a social experiment. It did very well. From there, I was asked if I’d like to try presenting some shows. It was all luck really."
Nevertheless doing a job that embraced the great outdoors and saw him get close to nature was always going to be on the cards,
"I spent my childhood between London and Canada, which is where my dad is from. I felt very at home in the wilderness of Canada, and my parents encouraged me to explore the great outdoors.
"I think that is where my love of canoeing, swimming and camping came from."
He taught his children 'bushcraft' skills
Is it any real surprise that a man so well known for his taste of adventure embraced lockdown as an opportunity to teach his children 'bushcraft'?
The presenter revealed he'd been enjoying teaching his children, Ludo, 10 and Iona, 9, how to whittle wood and spot wildlife during their time away from school even dubbing himself 'Mr Bushcraft'.
He also put a camera in his garden so his children could track which nocturnal animals were visiting their garden at night.
"Seeing the world through my children’s eyes is magical," adds Ben. "The most important role in my life is being a father, everything else is secondary. They went up to the Isle of Rùm (corr) in the Hebrides with an adventure club when we were holidaying there and I got to enjoy their trip vicariously with all their tales when they came back.
"Nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing my children loving life. As a parent I would never want to force them to do the things that I love, just present to them opportunities. There is a famous saying that a father should be not be an anchor, or a sail, but a guiding light. That’s what I want to do.
"It’s also very important for me to surround my children with animals so they have responsibilities. Having puppies, cats, guinea pigs, as we do, gives them a sense of their place in the world, builds up their sense of worth, looking after them, feeding them, thinking about something other than themselves."
Ben is friends with the royals
Ben is known to be close with the royal family and back in 2011 even went on a safari with Prince William and Prince Harry. He's always said that the Princes are "very grounded".
He nearly called his child Penguin!
When Ben's wife Marina was pregnant with their son, Ben's good friend and regular co-presenter from the BBC series Animal Park, Kate Humble, saw the list of potential baby names they had on a blackboard on their wall and was shocked to see 'Penguin' as one of the names on the list.
Threatening that she would disown him if he named his child Penguin, he teased right up to the birth at which point he revealed to Kate that they'd actually named him Ludo which is also the name of Kate's husband.
The family suffered a tragic baby loss
In 2014 Ben's wife Maria suffered the loss of their baby at 33 weeks' pregnant.
The TV presenter had been celebrating his grandma's 100th birthday in Canada when he was told Marina had gone into labour and their baby hadn't survived.
He then had to get on a plane home without knowing if she would make it.
"I was effectively told that Marina would die," he told the Mirror.
"That was the worst part about it, the helplessness and not knowing when the plane landed whether Marina would be alive or not.
"Knowing already I had lost my unborn son and not knowing how she would be... that definitely affected me deeply for six months.
"We've always been a very honest family, so we speak about what's happened. They have been amazing," he added.
How old is Ben Fogle?
Ben was born on 3 November 1973.
Where does Ben Fogle live?
Ben and his wife Marina previously lived in a five-story house in North Kensington, London - however last year they moved to the quiet Buckinghamshire village of Fawley, a spot he was introduced to by his wife.
“Marina’s grandfather and father lived here and she’s the third generation living here so I got introduced to Fawley through her and her family. I don’t think I would have found this little beautiful part of the world had it not been for them.”
Has Ben Fogle climbed Everest?
Yes. Ben took on Everest in 2018 and on May 16th, he reached the summit of the mountain. The presenter dedicated his climb to his stillborn son sharing an emotional message with fans on his Instagram account:
“A little boy I never got to know. A little life that never got to live. A breath that was never exhaled. His loss changed our lives and I think about him daily... Cradling little Willem to say goodbye, I made a promise to him to live my life brightly. To embrace every day. To always smile. To be positive and to inspire.”
Does Ben Fogle have Instagram?
Yes, he frequently shares photos of his current projects and adventures as well as photos of him and his family. Follow Ben on Instagram here.
Does Ben Fogle have Twitter?
He does. Ben uses Twitter to share any updates and to also share any projects he is supporting plus various news stories he thinks his followers might be interested in. View Ben's Twitter account here.
Has Ben Fogle written any books?
Ben has written several books including The Teatime Islands (2004), Offshore (2006), The Accidental Adventurer (2011), Up: My Life's Journey to the Top of Everest (2018), Labrador: The Story of the World’s Favourite Dog (2016), The Crossing(2013) written with his friend James Cracknell and the children's book Mr Dog and the Faraway Fox (2020).
His latest book, Inspire: Life Lessons from the Wilderness was released in October 2020, and explores what we can learn from nature about living well and living wild.
Does Ben Fogle have a dog?
Ben famously met his wife Marina whilst walking his beloved Labrador, Inca who also appeared on many TV shows with Ben. However, in 2012, Inca’s health began to decline and she sadly passed away aged 12. Taking to Twitter after her death, Ben wrote "I just lost my best friend, Inca. Heartbroken doesn't even begin to describe it." He added: "#cantstopcrying".
Earlier, he had tweeted: "Sometimes you have to make decisions that break your heart."
In 2015, Ben and his family welcomed black Labrador, Storm into their family and he often shares photos of Storm and latest furry addition Nero on his Instagram account.
Ben recently revealed that Nero is expecting puppies. The presenter posted a sweet snap of a black and white ultrasound scan, which he said his spouse had sent him.
He wrote: "Marina just sent me this with no words which got me reaaaaallllly confused.... because I’ve been away for a long time."
The star went on to reveal that the expecting mother wasn't the mother of his two children, but instead their dog, Nero, as he added: "#puppies."
Ben adds, "Dogs are probably one of the most important things in my life. I can’t imagine life without them. I grew up with them. They were part of me falling in love with my wife Marina.
"They keep me happy and sane and are always reassuring. My Labrador Storm had a litter of four puppies recently and they are a joy. We are hoping to keep one. The pups steal a lot of our time. We spend hours and hours staring at them.
"I think pets can teach us simplicity. Dogs eat, sleep and play. We can build many complexities into our lives but I think if we lived more like our pets, we could potentially be much happier."
He's also a celebrity beekeeper
Ben recently told Yours: "As well as the children and the dog, I now have 40,000 pet honey bees.
"The hives are at my parents-in-law’s house, where we spend most weekends, and the children love getting involved in their little beekeeper suits. At first I found it scary pulling out the bees, but once you get the confidence it’s magical.
"I also like teaching the children that bees have a vital, beautiful role, rather than just wanting to harm you."