Michaela Strachan's 'Agonising' Dancing On Ice Experience and Health Battles
Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan has candidly discussed her physically demanding journey on Dancing On Ice, describing the initial training as "absolutely agonising" and revealing a serious injury that continues to affect her. The 59-year-old television personality, who finished as runner-up in last year's ITV competition alongside professional skater Mark Hanretty, has opened up about the challenges she faced both on and off the ice.
The Painful Path to the Final
Speaking to KentLive, Michaela reflected on her early training sessions, admitting she questioned her decision to participate. "When I started it I thought, 'Oh my God what have I agreed to? This is absolutely agonising'," she revealed. The Countryfile alum described removing her skates after initial sessions and being "in tears" from the physical discomfort, calling the experience "painful" and "horrible."
Despite these difficult beginnings, Michaela adapted to the rigorous training regime and progressed to the competition's final stages, ultimately placing behind Coronation Street star Sam Aston. However, her journey took a dramatic turn just days before the final when she suffered a serious torn hamstring during an ambitious lift performed to 'Don't Rain on My Parade.'
A Career-Threatening Injury
Michaela recalled hearing her hamstring "pop" while being lifted into the air and performing splits - a move that impressed audiences given her age. "I knew I'd pulled it because I heard it pop. But I didn't know I'd torn it," she explained. The injury proved severe enough that as of January this year, she was still undergoing physiotherapy treatment.
Following an MRI scan that confirmed the tear, Michaela received strict medical advice that significantly limited her activities. "They said, 'You can do Pilates but you're off yoga, you're off hiking, you're off running. You can swim, but no front crawl,'" she shared. The presenter acknowledged she will "never be as supple" as before the competition and has had to put her fitness plans on hold.
"There's certainly been times when I've been very down about it, but I've had to stay positive," Michaela told the Mail. "It's taken me a while to get to a place of thinking let's find a positive in the negative of this. I wanted to get through Dancing On Ice bruised and not broken."
A Second Health Scare
In a separate revelation, Michaela disclosed a second cancer scare that occurred twelve years after her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2014. The BBC wildlife expert, who underwent a double mastectomy following her first diagnosis after competing in ITV's Splash!, faced another frightening health situation in 2019.
While presenting Springwatch live from the Cairngorms in Scotland, eagle-eyed viewers noticed a lump on her throat and contacted her about it. "I was watching the show back in bed - because I'm slightly geeky like that, I've always watched the live show back - and I thought, 'oh my god, I do - I've got a lump'," she recalled on the How to Be 60 with Kaye Adams podcast.
The production team arranged for medical attention, and given her cancer history, doctors recommended immediate investigation. This led to an urgent blood test at a local hospital and a weekend appointment with a throat cancer specialist in London's Harley Street.
The Emotional Toll of Silence
What made this situation particularly distressing for Michaela was the timing - the scare occurred when fellow television presenter Nicki Chapman had just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. "Everyone was talking about Nicki," she explained. "I can't say, 'by the way, I just found a lump on my throat, it could be cancer!' So the whole thing was just awful."
During her specialist consultation, Michaela faced her fears directly, asking for both worst-case and best-case scenarios. The specialist explained it could potentially be throat cancer or a secondary breast cancer manifestation, though both were considered unlikely. The possibility of vocal cord damage from any necessary surgery added to her concerns.
Fortunately, tests ultimately revealed the lump was a benign cyst that doctors were able to drain without complications. Michaela, who lives in South Africa with her film director partner Nick Chevallier and their 20-year-old son Oliver, has since recovered from this health scare while continuing to manage her Dancing On Ice injury.
Reflecting on her challenging lift that caused the hamstring injury, Michaela offered perspective: "It was amazing and that lift should probably never have been done by a 58-year-old. But then people hurt themselves going jogging for goodness sake." Her experiences highlight both the physical demands of celebrity ice skating competitions and the ongoing health vigilance required after cancer diagnosis.
