BBC star David Attenborough turns 99 next week – and just a year shy of his 100th birthday, he made a candid confession about death. Now his friend has issued an emotional statement in response, after David reflected that he is “approaching the end of [his] life.”

He shared his fears for the future in his new film Ocean, explaining: “When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity. Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true. After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”

Now David’s co-star Keith Scholey, who has worked with the nature expert for 40 years, has opened up about the new documentary which will air in cinemas from May 8th. Keith directed Ocean and co-founded Silverback Films – and he’s used to working with David.

He explained: “He’s come to a new place. He knows how much the public trusts him and how careful he has to be. He does want to bring about this change. So he absolutely has gone a lot further with this than before. He is very sure that this is an opportunity for the world.”

He added: “What David has succeeded at doing is remaining trusted by everyone, so that when he plays his cards, he can affect things in a huge way.”

Born in 1926, David has made various changes to his diet in order to stay healthy and extend his life as far as possible. In 2017 he explained: “I have certainly changed my diet. Not in a great sort of dramatic way. But I don't think I've eaten red meat for months.

“I do eat cheese, I have to say, and I eat fish. But by and large, I've become much more vegetarian over the past few years than I thought I would ever be."