Countryfile's John Craven has admitted he is "worried" a series of life-changing health condition might affect the future of his job after 50 years on television.
The 81-year-old, who has hosted the BBC One environmental-themed show since 1989, opened up about some of the health issues that have crept in as he's grown older.
The veteran presenter first noticed he was struggling to hear around 15 years ago, and that the worsening condition has caused him to lose his ability to hear nature.
Craven told Wise Living Magazine: "Outdoors, I wasn't hearing many of the gentler sounds of nature that everyone else was. All very frustrating."
After visiting the doctor, he was told his hearing has decreased substantially, causing concern for his ability to do his job..
John, who started off on Newsround in 1972 before popping up on children's shows including Saturday Superstore and Multi-coloured Swap Shop, began using hearing aids in a bid to prolong his hearing.
He told the Daily Mail: "When I had a routine check, I was told my levels had dropped by around 20 per cent since my first test in 2008.
"Hearing aids solved the problem and it is a real delight to experience the rustle of leaves, the pitter-patter of raindrops, the distant roar of thunder as easily as anyone with normal hearing."
He added that his hearing aids have helped to "eliminate wind noise" when out and about – and discussed the "stigma" that can surround the devices, despite modern aids being "almost invisible".
John went on: "As someone once said, 'sound is the vocabulary of nature'".
John also found his eyesight was becoming blurred in his 40s, so he had to start wearing glasses.
He admitted there wasn't a "single comment" on the appearance of his spectacles after anticipating BBC viewers would have plenty to say.
"Then, in my 60s, my hearing began to fail. I couldn’t make out conversations in crowded places, the sounds of nature became muffled and ‘say it again’ started to become a common response."
Meanwhile a recent episode of Countryfile left viewers devastated after Adam Henson revealed the fate of his sheepdog, Peg.
Adam took Peg to the vets as he was concerned about her health.
He explained: "When I'm out walking her or sometimes working the sheep as well, she looks up and it's as if she can't see me.
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