'I've wrestled alligators but being a dad is the hardest thing ever' - Yorkshire Vet star Matt Jackson-Smith

The Yorkshire Vet star Matt Jackson-Smith has opened up about fatherhood after the arrival of his daughter Anastasia last year, revealing that it's the 'hardest thing'

Yorkshire Vet's very own Matt Jackson-Smith has candidly shared the trials and tribulations of fatherhood after welcoming his daughter Anastasia with wife Katherine last October. The Channel 5 sensation, who has chronicled his vet adventures in the new release 'My Life As a Yorkshire Vet', confessed in an exclusive chat that being a dad is "the hardest thing ever".

Matt revealed the emotional whirlwind that comes with being a new parent. "It's the hardest thing ever. It's a whole mixture of emotions and I’ve only just started to properly enjoy it if I’m honest. Anastasia is nearly one and she’s starting to get her own personality. She loses her marbles for no apparent reason and she’s teething – but I took her for a walk yesterday, strapped to the front of me, and it was so cute. It has its ups and downs."

Despite the challenges of fatherhood, Matt isn't a stranger to danger in his professional life, especially when he had to sex a caiman alligator. Recalling one of his most unforgettable moments, he said: "That is definitely one of my most memorable snippets of being vet," he said. "I was like, 'Right, I'm going to have to dig up my knowledge of what Steve Irwin would do.' It was a good five feet - they're not the biggest but I'm ready for a saltwater crocodile anytime soon should the opportunity arise."

Matt had a narrow escape while attending to a calf with a broken leg. "We moved the calf into the right position – and the next thing I knew, I was flat on the floor with my legs being trampled," he said. "The mother cow had hoofed me to the ground and trampled over me. As she went for the farmer, I rolled underneath the gate. My legs were quite bruised and it’s made me wary ever since, but that was a close one."

For the time being, Matt and his wife Katherine are content with having one baby and their dog Harry in their West Yorkshire home. "They both have little toy zones – Harry wants to get Anastasia’s toys and she wants to get his toys,” Matt said. “There’s definitely some sibling management at this point in time.

"At the moment, one child is enough for now and we’re a one-dog household. We’ve got our hands full. We’re also currently looking after a tortoise with a cracked shell and there’s Dennis the bearded dragon, so we’re pretty full."

Matt's book, My Life As a Yorkshire Vet (Mirror Books, £20), is out on Thursday 10 October. You can buy the book on Amazon here.