‘It’s a lot to take on board’: Dr Chris Brown sets record straight on his dating life

In a revealing interview, Dr Chris Brown reflects on the intense interest in his relationships, answers those Bachelor rumours – and reveals whether he would return to being a full-time vet.

In a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, the TV presenter and vet sits down to discuss the ongoing interest in his romantic life (and how he aims to keep it private), the wild and woolly animals he’s encountered both in his veterinary clinic and in the African jungle, and the painful process of watching his beloved mother battle Alzheimer’s disease.

On acknowledging the public interest in his personal life – particularly his romantic status – while maintaining his privacy: “I’ve always found [it] kind of odd; it’s not like I walk around going, ‘Oh, this will be compelling for the next edition of Woman’s Day or New Idea.’ The challenge, really, is that it’s hard enough to meet the right person, anyway. That extra layer of speculation and interest … once you’re actually in a relationship it’s easy, but it’s meeting that person at the start that’s really hard. You could potentially be on your first date and get photographed, and then there’s a search for who this person is. It’s so bizarre that it’s almost amusing – you can almost catalogue it: ‘Things are getting serious!’ Then the next [article] will be an engagement, then married or a secret wedding, and then a baby on the way. If you’ve been through that like I have, you can kind of see the funny side. But for someone new to that, it’s a lot to take on board for what might have been one date.”

Dr Chris Brown: ‘The idea of trying to meet someone with – you know, conservatively – 10 cameras and about 120 crew around, I’d probably struggle with that.’ Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar

On the unceasing rumours that he may end up the star of The Bachelor Australia: “Look, I love the franchise. It has delivered so much joy and so many laughs for the right and wrong reasons over the years. But I’m fairly proud of my private life. The idea of trying to meet someone with – you know, conservatively – 10 cameras and about 120 crew around, I’d probably struggle with that. I’ve always wondered, if you do meet someone and you just happen to kiss them, [the producers are] probably going to want to come back in for another shot. And just the thought of that makes my skin crawl.”

On whether he would ever return to full-time veterinary practice: “I would never have operated on a sloth or a lion or a rhino if I were [still] based in the Bondi Junction Vet Hospital. It’s a different thing. Through my media work, I’ve become this jack of all trades and a master of none. I’ve worked on some of the craziest animals in the world … I’ve probably done more lion operations in the past year than I’ve done cat operations.”

Dr Chris Brown: ‘It’s been so long since I’ve had that conversation or heard her tell a story.’ Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

On returning to Africa for the first time since the pandemic to film the new season of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!: “You know how everyone’s got a memory of where they were when they realised this Covid thing might be something? Mine is actually in the tree house in Africa, about a month before it all blew up: I was on Twitter looking at reports of this virus coming out of China and it [seemed] to be spreading quickly. It’s just lodged in my memory. And it’s honestly so exciting to be going back; it’s the heart of the show and it’s where the show is at its best. We have a ball. It doesn’t really feel like we’re doing a TV show. There’s a single cable I can see, that runs our signal down the mountain to some truck that sends it via satellite. And half the time there’s a monkey swinging off that cable. It’s such a bizarre and unique place to call your workplace. We love it.”

On his friendship with I’m A Celebrity … co-host Julia Morris: “That probably surprised a lot of people. When we were first announced as the hosts, a lot of commentary was, ‘Why did you pair a vet with a comedian? It doesn’t make any sense. This won’t work …’ We had this kind of opposites-attract friendship; we arrive at every single topic from completely different angles. But that gap is where the spark is.”

On his mother Anne, who has been battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years: “There’s a certain tragedy in that it’s the longest grieving process you can ever, ever experience. Mum’s still in care but I feel like Mum – her personality, her sense of self – left us probably five years ago, because the person I visit [and] spend time with doesn’t have the same laugh. She doesn’t have the same witty, quick, incisive personality that made everyone in the room gravitate towards her. It looks like Mum, but it’s not Mum.”

On his aim to memorialise his mother while she is still alive: “One thing I wish I did more of was [to take] video of Mum or just record her talking, because it’s been so long since I’ve had that conversation or heard her tell a story … So anyone who has a parent or a relative who’s on that journey: record them as much as possible. I would really love to have more of that to remind me and to share with kids, if I have them, and to be able to say, ‘Ah, this is your grandmother.’ Just to have that would be really special.”

I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! premieres tonight at 7.30pm on Network 10.

Dr Chris Brown features in this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar