Michaela Strachan is approaching her 60th birthday with something many people might not expect: excitement.

After four decades on television, a breast cancer battle, countless extraordinary encounters with wildlife and the arrival of two baby grandsons within just five months, the much-loved presenter says reaching another milestone feels less like something to fear and more like something worth celebrating.

“I am more excited to be 60 than 50,” Michaela revealed, reflecting on a life that has taken her from children’s television to some of the wildest corners of the planet.

And after everything she has experienced, her reason is beautifully simple: every year now feels like a bonus.

From Dancing On Ice Finalist To Grandmother Twice Over

The past year has brought an extraordinary mix of emotions for Michaela.

After competing in the 2025 series of Dancing on Ice and reaching the final, she felt fitter, stronger and, in her own words, “20 years younger.”

Then life suddenly gave her a very different new title: grandmother.

Not once, but twice.

Her first grandson, Huxley, was born to her stepson Tom, while just five months later her stepdaughter Jadie welcomed baby Marley.

Tom and Jadie are the children of Michaela’s long-term partner, cameraman and director Nick Chevallier.

The growing family has been spending time together at Michaela and Nick’s home in Hout Bay, South Africa, surrounded by spectacular views of the mountains and sea.

For Michaela, becoming a grandmother twice in such a short space of time has only added to her gratitude as she enters a new decade.

“How lucky am I!” she said.

Why Turning 60 Means So Much

Michaela turns 60 on April 7, and rather than feeling anxious about the milestone, she is embracing it wholeheartedly.

She plans to celebrate at home in South Africa with Nick, swimming in a dam, hiking with friends and enjoying sundowners on top of a mountain before flying back to Britain the following day.

Her attitude towards ageing has changed dramatically over the years.

At 60, she says, there is a sense of freedom that perhaps did not exist at 50.

“You no longer care what people say or think about you,” she explained. “You either like me as I am, or you don’t.”

But behind that confidence is a deeply personal reason why birthdays have become so precious.

“Every Year Is A Bonus”

More than a decade ago, Michaela was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy.

Today, she no longer needs regular check-ups, but the experience permanently changed the way she looks at getting older.

While some of her friends react to turning 60 with disbelief, Michaela sees the milestone through a very different lens.

She explained that friends who have experienced cancer scares often share her sense of celebration.

Instead of thinking, “Oh no, we are 60,” they are grateful to be able to say, “Great! We are 60!”

For Michaela, the conclusion is powerful.

“Every year is a bonus.”

It is a philosophy shaped not only by her health journey, but also by a career filled with moments that have reminded her just how unpredictable life can be.

Charged By Elephants, Bitten By A Lemur And Chased By A Buffalo

Michaela has spent around 40 years on television and appeared across approximately 50 different series.

Her career began in children’s television during the 1980s with programmes including Wide Awake Club, before she became one of Britain’s most recognisable wildlife presenters through The Really Wild Show.

She later spent a decade working on Countryfile and became a familiar face on the BBC’s seasonal wildlife programmes, including Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.

But filming wildlife television has occasionally brought her terrifyingly close to danger.

During her years making Michaela’s Wild Challenge for Channel 5, she experienced encounters that sound more like scenes from an adventure film.

She has been charged by elephants in Africa and bitten on the face by a lemur with rabies in Madagascar.

Perhaps one of the most extraordinary incidents happened when she was chased by a buffalo while four months pregnant.

With the animal pursuing her, Michaela managed to escape by scrambling onto a brick barbecue.

It was one of several moments during her career when working with wildlife became genuinely dangerous.

Yet those experiences have also helped create a remarkable collection of memories spanning four decades.

35 Years Alongside Chris Packham

One person who has shared a significant part of that journey is fellow wildlife presenter Chris Packham.

Michaela revealed that the pair have known and worked with each other for an incredible 35 years.

Their natural chemistry has made them one of British wildlife television’s most familiar partnerships, particularly through the BBC’s Watch programmes.

Behind the cameras, they are also close friends.

Michaela jokingly summed up their relationship with characteristic humour, describing Chris as “an autistic bloke” and herself as “a menopausal woman” before quipping: “What could possibly go wrong?”

Their friendship is just one of many stories Michaela is revisiting as she looks back over her extraordinary career.

40 Years Of Memories Come Out Of The Garage

To mark her 60th birthday and four decades on television, Michaela is taking audiences behind the scenes of her life with a UK theatre tour titled Not Just A Wild Life.

Preparing for the tour has meant digging deep into her personal archives.

She has spent hours watching hundreds of old VHS tapes stored in her garage, rediscovering moments from the earliest days of her career right through to her wildlife adventures.

The experience has allowed her to reflect on just how much her life has changed—from an energetic young children’s television presenter to a respected wildlife broadcaster, cancer survivor and now proud grandmother.

The Dancing On Ice Injury She Hid Through The Final

Even approaching 60, Michaela has shown little interest in slowing down.

Her appearance on Dancing on Ice proved just how physically adventurous she remains.

The intense training left her feeling incredibly toned and fit, but the experience came at a painful cost.

Just three days before the final, Michaela suffered an injury while performing a lift.

She later discovered she had torn her hamstring and glute muscles.

The damage required physiotherapy and rehabilitation, but she remains committed to staying active.

Although she insists she has never been a “gym bunny,” Michaela regularly practises yoga and Pilates, trains with weights and goes hiking twice a week.

For someone who plans to celebrate her 60th birthday by swimming, hiking and watching the sunset from a mountain, that active lifestyle seems unlikely to change anytime soon.

A New Decade Filled With Gratitude

At 60, Michaela Strachan has plenty to look back on.

She has survived terrifying encounters with wild animals, built a television career spanning four decades, overcome breast cancer, pushed herself to the limit on Dancing on Ice and watched her family grow with the arrival of two grandsons.

But rather than looking backwards with nostalgia, she appears more excited about what comes next.

For Michaela, ageing is no longer about counting the years that have passed.

It is about appreciating the years she has been given.

And after cancer changed her perspective on life, turning 60 is not a milestone she wants to hide from.

It is one she intends to celebrate.

As she puts it: “Every year is a bonus.”