Michaela Strachan, the veteran TV presenter, has reflected on being labelled a 'bimbo' early in her career and her enduring hope to appear on Strictly Come Dancing. Now 60, she has spent over 40 years in television, fronting wildlife shows such as The Really Wild Show, Countryfile and Springwatch, as well as competing in Dancing on Ice last year, where she reached the final.
Despite her success, Strachan has never been asked to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, a role she has long desired. 'I have always wanted to do Strictly Come Dancing, it’s no secret,' she said. 'But I’ve never cracked a nod for that.' She once made the long-list and had a phone conversation with a producer, but never heard back. She added that if asked for the 2026 series, she would likely have to decline due to a torn hamstring from Dancing on Ice, but would consider it next year.
Strachan began her career on The Wide Awake Club in 1986, aged 20, and quickly faced criticism for being young, blonde and bubbly. 'If you were blonde, bubbly, enthusiastic and attractive, you were instantly called a bimbo,' she said. 'I was constantly fighting that label.' She noted that the critics were all men and that she now holds an honorary doctorate in science from Wolverhampton University, having left school at 16. 'Yah boo sucks,' she said of those critics. 'You were wrong.'
Strachan also overcame anorexia as a teenager and breast cancer later in life. She recalled a memorable headline from the Daily Star: 'Michaela Strachan: Saved from death by an egg sandwich', after she spoke about eating a whole egg sandwich during recovery. 'Of course now it makes me laugh,' she said. 'But you’d hope they’d deal with that slightly differently now.'
Now living in South Africa with her partner, cameraman Nick Chevalier, Strachan is celebrating her 60th birthday with a theatre tour. She remains proud of her career, which has spanned more than 50 shows and four decades.
