CBBC vet Dr James Greenwood: ‘Coming out was the most life-affirming decision I ever made’
The TV animal expert tells the Attitude February issue that getting married was the "most poignant" day of his life.
By Will Stroude
Words: Thomas Stichbury; Image: Leo Holden/Snooty Fox Images
CBBC vet Dr James Greenwood has described coming out as the most “most pivotal, life-affirming decision” he ever made.
The TV animal expert, who is a practising veterinary surgeon and resident vet on CBBC’s The Pets Factor, BBC One’s Morning Live and ITV’s The Pet Show, opens up about his coming out journey and relationship with his husband in the Attitude February issue.
Dr James Greenwood opens up about marriage and coming out in the Attitude February issue (Image: Leo Holden/Snooty Fox Images)
James, who lives and works in Bristol when not in front of the cameras, recalls how he overcame personal struggles a decade ago to emerge as an out and proud gay man.
“I came out in my mid-twenties. I think that was the time in my life that I felt the most vulnerable in so many ways – I worked through some really dark times,” he explains.
“Coming out was the most pivotal, life-affirming decision I have ever made for myself.”
Dr James Greenwood with Oliver, his one-eyed Labrador
James lives with his husband on a smallholding with their beloved dogs Dolly and Oliver, a one-eyed Labrador, as well as hens, ducks, sheep and “one very aggy goose called Ryan.”
“[My husband and I have] been together 13 years after meeting online,” explains James, who previously popped up as a contestant in the first series of The Great Pottery Throw Down on BBC Two.
“He was running ski chalets in the French Alps, and I had just moved back to the UK, so it took us a while for our paths to cross in person, but when they did, everything just fell into place… He is also a massive animal lover, and the dream is to live on a small farm and be totally self-sufficient.
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James adds: “For a large portion of my life, same-sex marriage was not even an option legally, so when we got married in June 2019 it was, hands-down, the happiest, most poignant day of my life.”
Despite overcoming his inner demons to forge a loving home with his husband, James says that encountering everyday homophobia remains a trigger.
“The last time I got angry was a few weeks ago when I took our nephews to the park to play football”, he recalls.
“A group of teenage lads were messing about, shouting homophobic slurs at each other while the dads on the sidelines did nothing correct them.”
Read the full interview in the Attitude February issue. Get your copy here.
