I wouldn't instantly make the connection between groomed television presenter and outdoorsy action man, but Nico Panagio, or Nico Panagiotopoulos according to his ID book, was once a South African Navy captain and is also skilled in Muai Thai, kickboxing and karate.

Nico’s currently on M-Net on Wednesday evenings as the host of the celebrity version of Survivor South Africa, having replaced Mark Bayly.

Shot in Santa Carolina, Survivor South Africa saw Nico  preside over (or some say torture) celebrity contestants like Ashley Hayden, Christina Storm, Craig Jacobs and Cindy Nel.

The show has been a hit with audiences who were kept enthralled by the antics of the celebrity survivors. In the first episode, model Christina Storm asked to leave after she couldn’t live without the comforts of home. Next, hip hop star Jub Jub wanted off the show because he believed he had picked up an infection in his genitals. Sometimes Nico seemed more like a babysitter than host, as the contestents behaved at their worst.

Nico joined the Method Actor’s Training Centre to hone his skill and started his drama career soon after graduating.

He plunged into acting roles in television soaps like Egoli and Generations and drama shows like Erfsondes and Zone 14, but the actor soon found a home in the hearts of South African TV viewers as nice guy George Kyriakis in 7de Laan.

After five years on the daily he switched channels and joined  the lifestyle programme Top Billing as a presenter, a job that sends its hosts to a plethora of exotic destinations and beautiful locations. Not too shabby for a Pretoria boytjie.

The one-time Able Seaman is not a stranger to presenting work - he hosted the Miss South Africa pageant in 2006. Nico explains that he uses the same tools for presenting as for acting, just in differing ways. “In both genres, your body language, speech and tone all formulate a specific ambiance, be it for a character in a film or as the host of a survival themed show.”

Will he ever go back to acting? The actor leaves the question open as he enjoys both. “I can’t say that I necessarily prefer one to the other. What it really comes down to is what production you’re having a better time on. Acting has always been my first love but I’ve been on some acting gigs that sucked. Survivor, for instance, kicks ass as a presenting gig.”

Nico says that being given the chance to be part of one of the most popular reality shows in the world was a dream come true, and the best part was being able to give the show a South African  flavour.

He explains, “I love Survivor South Africa and even entered as a competitor in the past. I’ll never be able to test my Survivor skills, but the upside is that my presence in the show is guaranteed all the way to the end.”

Apart from acting, Nico’s other passion is his charity. “I’ve been the chairman of Missing Children SA for about two years now. I got involved after reading The Shack, a book about child abduction that broke my heart and left me with an urgent need to do something.”

The charity has access to thousands of volunteers in various communities and works with the authorities when a child goes missing, whatever the circumstances.  Nico says, “We also engage in various awareness activities and strive to educate parents, guardians and children to make South Africa a safer place for every child.”

One such initiative was the Moment in Time benefit auction held last year by Boss Models and Management and Bell-Roberts, which saw local celebrities lend their faces for a good cause.

Sally Fink