Michaela Strachan will be missed by her ‘Springwatch’ co-stars as she spends lockdown in South Africa.
The 54-year-old presenter – who has worked alongside co-host Chris Packham on the show since 2011 – has spent the Covid-19 lockdown with her husband and son at their home in Cape Town, and won’t be able to return for the new series of ‘Springwatch’.
And Chris, 59, says he will miss his co-star for helping to make him look good on set, as she has done over the almost three decades they have worked together on various wildlife shows.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "My attitude has always been a bit cavalier. I’m always five minutes late – I don’t read the script on time, or the notes.
"Michaela is consummately professional. She’s always on time, sober, well presented, properly prepared. We have very different approaches and a combination of those is why we’re still working together over 28 years.
"Of course I’m going to miss that, and not just the on-screen banter but the off-screen banter as well."
The new series has been filmed at Chris’ farm in New Forest, Hampshire, and he will be joined by Iolo Williams in Wales with Gillian Burke presenting from Cornwall, while Michaela will have some input.
Iolo explained: "They’re in lockdown so she can’t fly out. But she will have an input, she’ll be trawling through archives, digging through her top 10 since she’s been involved for 11 years."
However, Iolo is determined Michaela will return for the Autumn series as he hopes the global health crisis will be over soon.
He added: "’Springwatch’ wouldn’t be ‘Springwatch’ without Michaela, we’ll all miss having her there. She’s so happy. She’s so bouncy. She’s so positive.
"We’ll really miss her but she will have a presence and definitely – as long as the lockdown is over and things get as normal as they can be – she will be back for ‘Autumnwatch’."