Michaela Strachan: “I am more excited to be 60 than 50”
The wildlife presenter on hitting another milestone, dicing with death, and life in South Africa with her two baby grandsons.
The wildlife presenter on hitting another milestone, dicing with death, and life in South Africa with her two baby grandsons.
Last year, I went from the final of Dancing on Ice and feeling 20 years younger to thinking “Oh my god, I’ve become a granny!” Not once, but twice within five months. How lucky am I!
My first grandson, Huxley, is nine months old, and his father is my stepson Tom. My second grandson is Marley. He’s three months old and his mum is my stepdaughter Jadie [Jadie and Tom are the children of Michaela’s long-term partner, cameraman/director Nick Chevallier].
They’ve all been living with us in our home in Hout Bay, South Africa, where we have the most amazing views over the sea and mountains.
I’m 60 this month, and have been on TV for 40 years in 50 different series, so I decided to celebrate with a UK theatre tour called Not Just A Wild Life, taking a trip down memory lane and sharing the highs and lows of my career.
I’ve had to watch hundreds of VHS videos stored in my garage, starting with 1980s kids' TV shows like Wide Awake Club with Timmy Mallett, then switching to wildlife with The Really Wild Show. I spent ten years on Countryfile, and the past 14 years on Winterwatch, Autumnwatch [until 2023] and Springwatch, which is due back on BBC Two next month.
Chris Packham and I have actually worked with each other for 35 years, have a great on-screen relationship and are really good friends. I mean, he’s an autistic bloke and I’m a menopausal woman. What could possibly go wrong?
My actual 60th birthday [on 7 April] is the day before I fly back to the UK for the tour. So, I’ll celebrate with Nick swimming in a dam, hiking with friends and then sundowners on top of a mountain.
I am more excited to be 60 than 50 because you no longer care what people say or think about you. You either like me as I am, or you don’t.
Ten years after I had breast cancer and a mastectomy, I no longer have regular check-ups. Half my friends are saying, “Oh no, we are 60”.
The other half are like me and have had a cancer scare and are cheering, “Great! We are 60!” Every year is a bonus.
I was really toned and fit after ITV’s Dancing On Ice, but sustained an injury three days before the final while doing a lift. I later discovered I’d torn my hamstring and glutes, so I’ve needed physio and rehab to recover. I’ve never been a gym bunny but I do yoga and pilates, train with weights and go on two hikes a week.
Lots of my adventures happened in my 30s while filming Channel 5’s Michaela’s Wild Challenge. I’ve been charged by elephants in Africa; bitten on the face by a lemur with rabies in Madagascar; and chased by a buffalo in Africa. I was four months pregnant and escaped by climbing onto a brick barbecue.
[Hero image credit: GettyImages]
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