I've grown up on television

Presenter Michaela Strachan on becoming a grandmother, TV friendships and taking the stage

- 

It’s very difficult not to have a lovely time when you're in Michaela Strachan’s company. Funny, honest and brimming with fabulous stories, the 59-year-old is always up for a chat on anything from animals to health, to becoming a grandma and her early days presenting children’s TV.

We caught up with the host to chat about her upcoming live shows, A Wild Evening, as well as her own tour, Not Just a Wild Life, which kicks off next April.

‘A Wild Evening is basically a celebration of wildlife and presenters that make it come to life. There are me, there’s Gordon Buchanan, Lizzie Daly, and Hannah Stitfall. Gordon and I worked out that we've got 70 years of experience between us, so there are so many stories to tell. It's going to be a celebration of some of those stories and a lot of banter, laughs, and humour. There will be poignant moments and surprising moments too.’

Her personal tour will take her to 13 venues around the country as she spills the secrets of her 40-year career. Getting out there and talking to the audiences about all her adventures is something she’s excited about. ‘I'm not going to lie, it’s been hard trying to condense all the stories into half an hour. A lot of my stuff is on VHS, so I’ve been putting tapes into an old machine and I'd forgotten how slow it is to fast-forward through. I've been going down a lot of rabbit holes I didn’t think I'd ever come out of. It's been fun to have that reason to look back and it has made me realise that I've been extremely fortunate and had an incredible life.’