Michaela Strachan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michaela Strachan
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Strachan in 2004
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| Born |
Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan
7 April 1966 Ewell, Surrey, England
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| Education | Claremont Fan Court School Arts Educational Schools, London |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Duncan Chard
(m. 1996; div. 2001) |
| Partner(s) | Nick Chevallier (2003–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Michaela Strachan (born on 7 April 1966) is a well-known English television presenter and singer. She started her career in theatre, performing in musicals. Later, she became famous for hosting children's TV shows like Wide Awake Club and Wacaday. Michaela also had a short music career, releasing two songs. She is now best known for presenting wildlife shows.
Michaela became a regular on The Really Wild Show and Countryfile. Since 2011, she has been a main presenter for the BBC's Springwatch series, which focuses on British wildlife throughout the year. In 2025, she was a runner-up on the TV show Dancing on Ice.
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Michaela's Early Life
Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan was born in Ewell, Surrey, England, on 7 April 1966. She grew up in a place called Hinchley Wood. She went to Chadsworth Stage School and then Claremont Fan Court School.
Michaela's Career Journey
Starting in TV and Music
Michaela studied at ArtsEd in London. After finishing her studies in 1985, she acted in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She continued to perform in theatre roles.
Michaela then moved into children's television. In the 1980s, she was a popular presenter on Saturday morning TV shows. These included Wide Awake Club, Wacaday, and WAC '90 with Timmy Mallett.
From 1988 to 1992, Michaela co-hosted The Hitman and Her, a music show set in nightclubs. She also had a brief music career, releasing two songs: "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" in 1989 and "Take Good Care of My Heart" in 1990. These songs reached numbers 62 and 66 on the UK Singles Chart.
Becoming a Wildlife Presenter
In 1993, Michaela joined The Really Wild Show, a popular wildlife program for children on BBC1. She presented this show for 13 years. In 1999, she started reporting for BBC One's Countryfile. She continued with Countryfile until 2009. Around this time, she moved to South Africa, which made it harder for her to be on the show as much.
While filming for Countryfile in 2002, Michaela took part in the World Gurning competition. This is a contest where people pull funny faces. To her surprise, she won the Ladies' World Gurning Crown!
Michaela also co-presented two series of Orangutan Diary with Steve Leonard for BBC One. These shows followed the daily lives of orphaned orangutans in Borneo. They showed the amazing work of Lone Drøscher Nielsen and her team.
Since 2011, Michaela has been a main presenter for Springwatch on BBC2. She also presents its seasonal versions, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch. These shows explore British wildlife from different locations like Westonbirt Arboretum and RSPB Arne.
In 2013, Michaela released her book, Michaela Strachan's Really Wild Adventures. That same year, she presented a six-part series called The Great Penguin Rescue. In 2014, she was a contestant on the ITV celebrity diving show Splash!, reaching the semi-finals.
More recently, in 2022, Michaela co-presented Digging For Treasure: Tonight on Channel 5. This archaeology series featured her alongside Dan Walker. She also presented Extreme Conservation on BBC World News. In March 2024, she took part in BBC's Pilgrimage. In April 2024, she appeared in an episode of the comedy series Mandy. In 2025, Michaela and her professional partner Mark Hanretty were runners-up in the seventeenth series of Dancing on Ice.
Michaela's Personal Life
Michaela Strachan was married to filmmaker Duncan Chard from 1996 to 2001. Since 2003, she has been in a relationship with Nick Chevallier. They had a son on 8 June 2005. The couple lives in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, with Nick's children from a previous relationship. Michaela is also a fan of the football team Oxford United F.C.. She is allergic to elephants.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
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| Songs from Grease (with Carl Wayne) |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
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| "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" | 1989 | 62 | Non-album singles | |||
| "Take Good Care of My Heart" | 1990 | 66 | ||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||
