Wildlife TV icon and Dancing On Ice superstar Michaela Strachan, 58, talks to Gemma Calvert about how skating transformed her body, why she and partner Nick Chevallier will never say ‘I do’, and having a positive attitude to life and health.
Words: Gemma Calvert
The ultimate highlight of being on Dancing on Ice has been working with my partner, pro skater Mark Hanretty. He’s such a nice guy and a great coach. The show has been such a positive, joyous little bubble. I exceeded my own expectations, both in terms of how I’d do and how much I’d enjoy it.
I felt totally energised by skating, as if I was 10 years younger, because I had more energy than normal. Obviously, there was anxiety doing a show like that and trying to learn the routines so quickly, but I loved it more than I ever thought.
It changed me physically too – my thighs, bum and waist have changed shape! I’ve lost weight and definitely feel more toned. Skating is a good workout! When I was training during filming Winterwatch [this January], I didn’t have much extra time but I tried to do Pilates, yoga or swimming to keep supple. I’m 58 and I do get stiff, and so I can’t be complacent – I haven’t got the body of a 20-year-old anymore!
The people I bonded with most on Dancing On Ice were Anton [Ferdinand] as he and I had long chats. It was probably because my son works at Oxford United FC while he’s studying at Loughborough University. I found Ferne [McCann] really interesting, and Mollie [Pearce] was lovely – everyone was!
We were heartbroken when Chelsee [Healey] went out first; after working together for such a long time, it was horrible. We all spent a lot of time socialising in our dressing rooms and in the corridors backstage, so we felt like a real team. We were such an eclectic mix, and it was so interesting to spend time with people that aren’t your normal tribe because it makes you think outside the box.
I did question taking part initially when I first met the physio and we did our medical. Unfortunately, just before the medical, I sprained my ankle, so I was on crutches, which wasn’t a great start to the journey! I was sitting there with the physio who said, ‘Most people fall, most people hurt themselves,’ but I thought, “I’m not a quitter!” After all, Mum is 85 years old and has had Parkinson’s for 20-odd years. She has a challenge to stay upright every day whereas I only had to learn to skate and stay upright for a few months.
Mum gets what’s called frozen foot, so her brain goes to move and her feet stay still, then she stumbles and falls. Some days are better than others but she does dance, yoga and swimming. She has a great sense of humour though and the way she handles it is great – I’ve really learned from her. She was another reason for me doing Dancing On Ice. I wanted to base myself in the UK for a while and spend time with her [Michaela lives with her partner, Nick, in South Africa, a lot of the year].
I can be intolerant and impatient sometimes and I have to work at that. If you ask Nick, he’d say, “She’s impatient!”, and our son Ollie, 19, would call me a control freak. But I like to think I’ve got my head together, particularly with the life I lead – I could not keep my schedule and live in two places if I wasn’t super-organised.
My stepdaughter got married at the end of last year so Nick and I did joke about doing a “two-for-one”. But, no, we’ve been together now 22 years and have a grown-up son together and stepkids. We really don’t see the need to get married. It’s an awful lot of expense, isn’t it?
Coming into a relationship with somebody that had lost their partner, and three kids who had lost their mum [Nick’s wife died of colon cancer] was a difficult dynamic to begin with. There were no real major challenges, just the feeling of, “Whoa, how do we handle all this?” It needed thought and patience.
I was away a lot at the start, so I wasn’t in their faces and in their space all the time. I also think Ollie was the glue that really brought us all together. His arrival definitely changed the dynamic for the better, because it wasn’t the Chevalliers and me anymore, it was all of us.
It blows my mind that it’s been almost 40 years since I first started presenting on TV. Lorraine [Kelly] reached that milestone recently too. When I started at the Wide Awake Club, I looked at Tommy Boyd, who’d done 10 years in children’s TV, and thought, “Wow, imagine doing this for 10 years!” Another milestone for 2025 is that it’s the 20th anniversary of Springwatch!
Many people have jobs that are static – they’re in the same place, doing the same thing, sitting behind a laptop. I feel unbelievably fortunate, and more so as I get older, that I’ve been able to be outdoors doing different things. At 58, I look back and think “Wow, I’ve had a good time!”
Read our interview with Lorraine Kelly here
I’ve always thought we needed a grown-up magazine show about world wildlife. We get the David Attenborough top tier stuff but that’s very different. We used to get a lot of humour into The Really Wild Show [which ran from 1986-2006], so to have an adult version with facts, humour and shocking bits, that would be great. Spring and Winterwatch are like that but only about British wildlife.
In terms of what else I enjoy on TV, I love documentaries and some reality shows, including The Traitors – how good was that?! I’d be such a rubbish traitor as I wear my heart on my sleeve.
Another milestone is it’s been 10 years being clear of breast cancer. When people say ‘You’re a cancer survivor’, I feel shocked because all I had was an operation. I lost my best mate just over a year ago. She had breast cancer, so I realise how lucky I am to be here.
To help heal, you need to be positive. You need to get rid of that fear, that anxiety. My therapy was and still is walking in the mountains and talking to friends. I saw a therapist once when I went through a divorce and I didn’t enjoy it, so I didn’t stick with it. There are people that absolutely benefit from therapy. For me, it’s about getting out into wildlife, often being on my own and going through my thought process.
In terms of what I eat, I tend to do everything in moderation these days. I keep thinking I should give up alcohol for a bit but I really enjoy my glass of wine every night. I also enjoy coffee every day. In my teens I had anorexia and so being obsessed with healthy eating wasn’t good – I think, everything in moderation suits me.
Watch Michaela on Springwatch, which returns to BBC2 in May, and follow her on Instagram.
