Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan shares details of a second cancer scare, 12 years after her breast cancer diagnosis led to a double mastectomy.
Initial Breast Cancer Diagnosis
The 59-year-old BBC wildlife expert received her breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 following a routine mammogram in Cape Town, shortly after appearing on ITV’s diving show Splash!. Doctors offered her the option of removing one or both breasts. After consulting a friend who had faced the same cancer type, Strachan chose a double mastectomy to avoid ongoing anxiety about recurrence.
“She said to me, ‘get them both off’,” Strachan recalls. “You don’t want to be looking at that other one and always wondering whether it’s going to come back.” Her friend also highlighted the psychological benefits of symmetry post-surgery.
The news hit hard for her partner, Nick Chevallier, a film director and father of their son Oliver, 20. Nick’s previous wife had died from colon cancer, leaving him to raise three children. Strachan became stoic to support him, later processing the trauma through Trauma Release Exercises (TRE), which triggered emotional release.
Second Health Scare During Springwatch
In 2019, while filming Springwatch in the Cairngorms, Scotland, viewers noticed a lump on Strachan’s throat during a live broadcast. Messages alerted her, and upon reviewing footage, she confirmed the visible swelling, resembling an Adam’s apple that moved as she spoke.
She informed the production team, who arranged an on-site doctor visit. Given her cancer history, they prioritized urgent checks, including a blood test at a local hospital and a specialist appointment in Harley Street over the weekend.
The timing added distress, as fellow presenter Nicki Chapman had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, limiting Strachan’s ability to discuss her concerns openly.
Specialist Consultation and Resolution
At the appointment, Strachan pressed for worst- and best-case scenarios. The specialist noted secondary breast cancer in the throat was highly unlikely but possible, or it could be primary throat cancer or a benign cyst. Removal in either cancer case risked vocal cord damage.
Tests confirmed a benign cyst, which doctors drained without complications. Strachan returned to Springwatch the following Monday.
Life Lessons Post-Cancer
Approaching her 60th birthday in April, Strachan views each year as a bonus. “When you’ve had the big C scare, it does make you feel like every year’s a bonus,” she reflects on the How to Be 60 with Kaye Adams podcast. “Let’s just make the most of it because who knows what’s going to happen next.”
Strachan, who co-hosts BBC Two’s Springwatch with Chris Packham since 2011 and resides in South Africa, continues her wildlife presenting career.
