Donna Air’s rarely seen daughter reveals she’s raising two lion cubs – in her bedroom
TV star Donna Air’s daughter, Freya Aspinall is raising a pair of orphaned lion cubs – who sleep in her bed.
AFTER two 4-month-old cubs became orphaned due to their mother developing an infection, Freya took it upon herself to raise the duo.
The 20-year-old regularly wakes up in the middle of the night to bottle-feed the baby lions, Zema and Zala.
Growing up surrounded by wildlife was part of Freya’s upbringing, thanks to her father, the professional conservationist Damian Aspinall.
Freya lives at Howletts Wild Animal Park, an animal conservation park run by her father.
She said: “If anyone says the lions are domesticated, no. If anything, they lionise me. I become a lion. I speak lion.
“Hand-rearing is the last option possible, but I am their mother figure. It’s basically like raising two children.”
She currently works for the Aspinall foundation, a family-run charity dedicated to restore wild life.
The foundation’s website stated: “The Aspinall Foundation have reached a remarkable milestone with 1,000 animals rescued or rewilded around the world.”
Freya wants to deliver a fresh new perspective to the foundations projects and is driven to have all zoos in the UK closed.
Freya’s mother Donna, is best known for her role in the drama series, Byker Grove and presenting The Big Breakfast. The actress and TV presenter split from Damian back in 2007. She met the multi-millionaire when she was just 21.
Regarding Donna, Damian once said: “I asked her if she liked animals and she said, ‘Not really’, and it was such a relief after all these women who had gone on about animals just to get close to me.”
After their separation Donna went on to date James Middleton, the younger brother of Catherine, Princess of Wales.
The pair separated in 2018.
Now Donna lives in the Cotswolds and shares stunning photos of her barn transformed into a home, showcasing her talent in interior design.