Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan has skated into the record books on Dancing on Ice at 58, becoming the oldest contestant to reach a show finale.
The wildlife expert disclosed, “I think more people in their 50s and 60s are being healthy and getting outdoors,” adding, “I’m the oldest celebrity to get to the finals, but I don’t feel old.”
Michaela, who teamed up with professional Mark Hanretty on the ITV programme, confessed that venturing beyond her comfort zone on the ice was key to her feeling revitalised.
“As you get older, it’s very easy to sit back and think, ‘I’m nearly 60 now, I’ll stay comfy in my chair.’ But actually, I’ve felt 20 years younger doing this so it’s really proved to me that you should keep pushing yourself. It does make you feel younger,” she said.
Additionally, off the ice, she is poised to welcome her first grandchild as stepson Tom anticipates parenthood with his fiance.
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Michaela Strachan has revealed that she’s going to be a grandmother (Image: Getty Images)
“I’m going to be a granny in two months, so I’m granny on ice!” Michaela beamed.
Michaela is the stepmother to three children from her partner Nick Chevallier, and together, they have a 19-year-old son, Oliver, who’ll be cheering for his mother at Sunday’s (March 9) final.
She recollected, “My son is very competitive, and he said to me, ‘Mum, you can just enjoy this week because, in my eyes, you’ve won already.’ He said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ We’ve worked so hard at trying to be the best we can be that we’ve won just by getting to the final.”
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Michaela will be performing one final time with her professional partner Mark Hanretty on Sunday (Image: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Michaela, a finalist in the competition, is eager for some well-deserved rest after the contest concludes, regardless of whether she wins or not. “I’ve learned that I bruise easily,” she revealed, reports .
“I have a handprint bruise on my thigh and when I went to the sauna yesterday, that looked dodgy but that’s where Mark holds me,” she continued.
“I’ve got bruises from where the boys are holding me for my showcase number, I’ve got bruises around my ribs. My body looks like a checkers board right now!”
The Springwatch presenter will face off in Sunday’s grand finale against actor Sam Aston and ex-footballer Anton Ferdinand, as they all take to the ice one last time.
Dancing on Ice airs on ITV1 and ITVX