Michaela Strachan has recalled the surreal moment she was serenaded by thousands of people who were belting out a song inspired by her at a Scouting For Girls concert.
The Springwatch presenter, 58, who relocated to Cape Town in 2002, is currently back in the UK while she trains for her upcoming stint on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
And making the most of her time here, in November Michaela spent a free evening going to see the band live at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
However, the TV star has a very special connection to the group as Scouting For Girls debut album in 2007 included a song about her, which was even named after her.
The tune, which is called Michaela Strachan, features lyrics which are about a boy coming home from school, seeing Michaela on the telly and falling in love.
‘You helped me to sleep. I fancied you heaps, but so did my Dad.’ There’s a big singalong chorus: ‘It ain’t gonna happen for me and the Strachan.’
Michaela Strachan has recalled the surreal moment she was serenaded by thousands of people who were belting out a song inspired by her at a Scouting For Girls concert
Making the most of her time here, in November Michaela spent a free evening going to see the band live at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
After attending the gig with a friend and getting a special shoutout, Michaela quipped: ‘Oh my God it was hilarious. I sat there and the singer said, ‘You all know the song. There was a woman that broke my heart when I was 12. Well, she’s here tonight!’
‘A spotlight comes on me and I get a thousand people at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire holding up phone lights, swaying and singing to me. It was one of those times when you try to be terribly humble but then I thought, ‘Do you know what? Sod that!’
She jumped to her feet to wave back to the audience and soak up the adoration, admitting: ‘I’m just a showgirlat heart. It was the most surreal night I’ve had in a long time. I left with the biggest grin on my face.’
Michaela was born in Surrey but moved to Cape Town in 2002 after falling in love with Nick Chevallier, a South African cameraman and producer.
It comes just after Michaela opened up about the emotional toll of her breast cancer battle and lifted the lid on her worries as she prepares to take to the rink for Dancing On Ice next week.
The Springwatch presenter was diagnosed at the beginning of 2014 after a routine mammogram, and went on to make a full recovery after a double mastectomy which was followed by reconstructive surgery.
When it comes to taking part in the ITV show, Michaela has candidly admitted it’s the tight tops that bother her, not the fear of horrifying injuries.
‘I don’t want to be defined by this, but if it helps people I don’t mind talking about it,’ she said.
‘I went for a routine mammogram on a Monday. That evening the doctor phoned and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have breast cancer.’
She was driving home in Cape Town. ‘All I heard was ‘cancer’. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to tell Nick.’
The tune, which is called Michaela Strachan, features lyrics which are about a boy coming home from school, seeing Michaela on the telly and falling in love
‘You helped me to sleep. I fancied you heaps, but so did my Dad.’ There’s a big singalong chorus: ‘It ain’t gonna happen for me and the Strachan’
Michaela’s partner Nick had lost his wife Nicky, the mother of three of his children, to cancer. When I asked how he took it, Michaela said quietly, ‘It was difficult. It was really hard.’
Others had the same question, which irritated her. ‘His friends were like, ‘Oh my God, what did Nick say?’ You get to the point where you think, ‘Hello, I feel sorry for Nick too, but this is happening to me!’
Things moved quickly, as they had private health care. ‘By Wednesday I was seeing the specialist. He said the most bizarre thing, ‘Considering you have breast cancer, this is the best news: we have caught it early and we can treat it. Go home and have a glass of champagne.’
The cancer had been hard to spot. ‘It wasn’t a lump, so we were grateful to the guy who did the biopsy.’
Doctors offered her the choice of having one or two breasts removed. ‘I talked to a friend who’d had a double mastectomy who said, ‘If I were you, I’d get them both off or you’ll worry.’
From diagnosis to recovery was six weeks. ‘It’s only afterwards you process it all. That takes time.’
She has given this a lot of thought since. ‘Surely there’s a better way of dealing with a tiny bit of cancer in a woman’s breast than chopping them off? It seems brutal, doesn’t it? I hope it doesn’t have to be that way in 20 years’ time. It’s a hell of a thing to take a woman’s boobs off.’
Michaela has had reconstructive surgery and asked the stylists on Dancing On Ice to take that into account. ‘Obviously I’m very brave and all that, but I don’t want a tight top on my boobs, thanks very much.’
It comes just after Michaela opened up about the emotional toll of her breast cancer battle and lifted the lid on her worries as she prepares to take to the rink for Dancing On Ice next week
The Springwatch presenter, 58, was diagnosed at the beginning of 2014 and went on to make a full recovery after a double mastectomy which was followed by reconstructive surgery
Michaela said: ‘You work so hard you forget lunch. We eat a banana and that’s it. I’m on an endorphin rush at the moment’ (pictured with Nick and their their son Oliver)
She’s small and trim in her black jeans and floral shirt, but Michaela says she’s lost weight during training.
‘You work so hard you forget lunch. We eat a banana and that’s it. I’m on an endorphin rush at the moment.’
Michaela added: ‘Most days I’ve also done yoga or Pilates and I’ve joined a spa where I go swimming and sit in the steam room or sauna, which helps. The first few weeks of working with Mark, everything hurt.’
Lifting the lid on her health now, the star said: ‘No one’s clear forever. I was on the drug tamoxifen for five years. Then I was given the all-clear. When people call me a cancer survivor, it jars. I forget I had it. It’s an amazing position to be in.’
There was a terrible reminder last year, when her friend Lucy Bowden, a former Springwatch producer, was given a similar diagnosis and choice.
‘They caught the cancer early, it hadn’t spread. She had one breast taken off. She was unlucky,’ says Michaela flatly.
‘The cancer came back.’ Lucy’s funeral was the week before Michaela took part in the BBC show Pilgrimage. ‘I was grieving the death of one of my closest friends. I walked that with her.’
A priest invited those walking the North Wales Pilgrims’ Way to write a name on a stone and leave it on the beach in contemplation of someone they had lost.
Michaela has had reconstructive surgery and asked the stylists on Dancing On Ice to take that into account
When it comes to taking part in the ITV show, Michaela has candidly admitted it’s the tight tops that bother her, not the fear of horrifying injuries
Michaela broke down. ‘I wasn’t sure how comfortable I felt having raw emotion filmed. I’m usually in control of myself. The camera on you as you’re sobbing your heart out is an extra layer to deal with.’
Lucy is still on Michaela’s mind. ‘I feel sad she’s not here to see me do this; she would have been the friend who was 100 per cent invested in this journey. She was Mrs Entertainment Telly.’ There’s a catch in Michaela’s voice. ‘I really miss her.’
Finally, when asked if she would ever consider coming back to live in Britain, Michaela reasoned: ‘I never say never to anything any more. Who knows? I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I have thoroughly made the most of it. I’ve gone out every night.’
‘I miss home, my partner and dog, but considering I’m here, I’ve embraced it,’ she said. ‘To any woman feeling like an empty-nester: take on a challenge. Doing this made me feel 20 years younger.’
Her face lit up. ‘I’m not at home in an empty house going, ‘What do I do now?’ Do something for yourself. It’s brought real joy to me.’
Dancing On Ice returns on 12 January from 6.30pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
