Chris Packham Called 'Nutjob' Tweet By Hunting Suppliers, Retweeted By MP Nicholas Soames

The Springwatch presenter described his battle with depression last month.
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Chris Packham has been called a 'self-confessed nutjob' in a tweet retweeted by Tory MP Nicholas Soames.

Last month the Springwatch presenter bravely described his battle with depression which has twice left him on the brink of taking his own life.

 

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Chris Packham at a Hen Harrier Day protest in the Goyt Valley, Peak District, Derbyshire.
Alex Britton/PA Archive

He also revealed he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in his 20s.

Despite the offensive nature of the tweet from Hunting Solutions - suppliers of pigeon shooting and deer stalking equipment - Soames retweeted it.

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Twitter

Packham, 55, said: "It’s very disappointing to see such comments retweeted by an MP.

"People with Aspergers are not ‘nut jobs’ they are simply different. 

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Sir Nicholas Soames
Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images

"And if associated depression qualifies them for such categorisation then I hope he manages to engage with some of the important messages from Mental Health Week."

He said: "I have been severely depressed, yes. I nearly killed myself twice."

Speaking about one episode in 2003 he said he "didn’t have enough drugs to be sure it would work. I wouldn’t want to make a bad job of suicide".

He added: "Selfishness would only be apparent if you could be conscious of your actions’ effect on others. But there are no fucking others, they are not there.

"There is nothing there … but you and a fucking great, hopeless vacuum."