Exploring How Jeremy Wade Made a Career Out Of His Love for The Outdoors, His Net Worth and Family Life

Starting from River Stour in East Anglia to the Mountain Rivers in India and nerve-wracking trips to the Amazon and the Congo, Wade is undoubtedly one of the greatest anglers and wildlife experts of all time.

The aquatic expert is also an accomplished author with a couple of books on angling fishing techniques and aquatic life. In addition to that, he has done well for himself as a television presenter. Notable amongst his television shows include River Monsters, Dark Waters, Mighty Rivers, and Jungle Hooks. From all of these, anyone could guess that Wades has come to acquire an enviable amount of wealth, what has been left to speculations is his love life and how he became a sensation in his field.

How Jeremy Wade Built a Successful Career from a Hobby

Jeremy Wade who is a native of Ipswich County, Suffolk, England lived a very simple life before his launch into stardom for what was just a hobby. Nayland village where he grew up has the famous River Stour flowing through it and it was gathered that the popular underwater detective took an interest in fishing at a tender age. Wade was about 8 years old when he caught his first and has recounted in an interview how proud his parents were when he began exploring the river as a child.

Because of his interest in wildlife, he studied Zoology at the University of Bristol, and in a bid to further his education, he obtained a postgraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the prestigious University of Kent. Upon bagging his teaching certificate, Jeremy Wade got a job at a secondary school in Kent where he taught biology.

In 1982, Wade made his first trip abroad to the Mountain Rivers in India. The skilled angler set out on the trip with about £200 expected to last him for a couple of months. He was fortunate to have caught amongst other fishes, the Himalayan mahseer which weighed about 18 pounds. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, Wade was recruited by a fishing magazine to write articles about his experience for them.

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The Beginning of His Television Career

Wade later made a return trip to India in 2005 which was fueled by his passion to explore more of the Himalayan Mountains. Upon getting to the Himalayan, he heard reports that some of the locals who embarked on a trip on the river had gone missing. Wade decided to investigate and find the cause of the many disappearances. After giving it some thought, the experienced angler saw the television potential the situation had and that saw the birth of River Monsters. 

The show revolves around how the fish expert caught the creature responsible for the loss of lives in the region. The fish known as the Goonch catfish was not an easy catch as it weighed about 161 pounds. Wade’s exploits were applauded by the locals and of course, River Monsters became a commercial success. The television sensation has also embarked on several daunting trips around the world including places like the Amazon rain forests and the Congo.

Despite the tremendous accomplishments of his career, it is worthy to note that the River Monsters show presenter has experienced so much thrill and near-death experiences in the course of his career. During his many expeditions abroad, Wade has contracted diseases including malaria, survived a plane crash, and held against his will at gunpoint. Interestingly, Jeremy learned how to speak fluently in Portuguese, Spanish, and French which is handy whenever he comes in contact with locals at the countries he visits.

Other Endeavors That Contributed To His Net Worth

The wildlife enthusiast has also excelled as a writer. His first book, Somewhere Down the Crazy River, which was co-written with Paul Boote, was published in the early 1990s. He went on to publish his second book which he titled River Monsters: True Stories of the Ones that Didn’t Get Away in 2011. Jeremy’s third and most recent publication, How to Think Like a Fish: And Other Lessons from a Lifetime in Angling, was published in 2019.

Jeremy Wade’s career has also involved appearances in a couple of films and television shows. He got his first film feature in 2014 portraying the role of a lamprey expert in Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys. He also hosts the popular Dark Waters documentary series that airs on Animal Planet. Jungle Hooks and Mighty Rivers are some of the other television series he has been a part of.

From all of the endeavors delineated above, Wade has been able to accumulate a net worth estimated at $2 million. This figure stems from multiple sources including his career as a fisherman. The English biologist has also earned a significant sum from his three published books. Another source of Wade’s wealth is his critically acclaimed films and television series. The widely acclaimed angler currently resides at his luxurious home in Somerset, England.

Jeremy Wade Has Never Been Married

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Jeremy Wade is single and has never been married, this is according to the information we were able to gather from his official website. As one would expect, this has sparked a lot of speculations about his sexual orientation. But then, there are no pieces of evidence that support the narrative of him being gay. As far as we can tell, Wade is just too engaged with what he does. The Ipswich native does not see himself getting married in the nearest future.

The widely acclaimed author spends some of his free time with Kids from Make-A-Wish organization as part of his philanthropic activities. The kids get to see how Wade and his crew get to create the thrilling episodes of his show and some of the animals he interacts with.

More so, Jeremy Wade’s insatiable urge for thrill and adventures have led him to venture into scuba diving, free diving, and rock climbing.