Michaela Strachan has opened up about her 'heated' off-air arguments with Springwatch co-star Chris Packham, describing a dispute over a 'traumatic' wildlife scene that left younger researchers stunned.
The 60-year-old presenter recalled an incident where a buzzard began bullying and pecking its younger sibling to death. Packham wanted to place a camera on the corpse to observe decomposition, but Strachan objected, fearing viewers would be traumatised.
'I won that argument, but we had this heated row and it did make me laugh because there were all these young researchers who were sitting there with their eyes getting wider,' Strachan told a London audience during her 'Not Such a Wildlife' tour.
Strachan described their dynamic as 'Chris is the scientific one and I am the soft underbelly of wildlife telly who gets involved with the emotional storylines.' She emphasised that their disagreements are about content, not personal issues.
The pair have worked together since 1992, co-presenting The Really Wild Show before moving to Springwatch in 2011. Strachan said she 'adores' her co-star, now 65, and values their on-screen chemistry.
Earlier this year, Strachan revealed a second cancer scare after Springwatch viewers noticed a lump on her throat. Tests confirmed it was a benign cyst, which was drained without complication. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and underwent a double mastectomy.
