A beaming Michaela Strachan took to Instagram to celebrate becoming a grandma over the weekend. The presenter confirmed that her stepson, Thomas Chevallier, welcomed his first child with his fiancée, Mikayla Humphries.
The baby boy was born after a very testing labour. The BBC Springwatch star wrote about how proud she was of her stepson and future daughter-in-law for braving the intense challenge of their firstborn's birth, which lasted more than two days.
The new grandmother posted a selection of sweet images taken at the hospital along with a heartfelt note stating: “Today I became a Granny!! After an extremely stressful and exhausting labour, 55 hours, baby Huxley finally arrived!!”
Her fans have been flooding the comments section with warm wishes in response to the lovely news. One follower congratulated the 59-year-old grandmother with a sweet: "My heart’s exploding congrats all you special people !!!!! Hello Huxley”, while another user was astonished by the length of the labour and sent a special message to Michaela’s daughter-in-law saying, "55 hours?! Woah. Congratulations to you all, especially Huxley’s heroic mother!".
But this is only the beginning for the Dancing on Ice star. Her stepdaughter, Jadie Alice, is expected to give birth to her first child in September, which will make Michaela a grandmother of two.
© Mike Marsland/WireImageIn April, she shared a picture of the two then mums-to-be writing “Dancing On Ice was a chapter of my life that made me feel 10 yrs younger, so this next chapter, becoming a grandma, is something I need to get my head around!!”.
The presenter, who started her career at the helm of children’s television shows Wide Awake Club and Wacaday, was the favourite to win this year’s Dancing On Ice, enchanting the public with her fabulous ice-skating abilities, but she ended up bringing home the silver.
© Jo Charlesworth, BBCFor the general public, Strachan is most famous and well-loved for her work as a wildlife presenter, and she continues to be a staple of British TV thanks to programmes like the BBC Two show, Autumnwatch.
She seems to be excited to start her new life as a grandmother, but it’s hard to believe that she will take time away from her treasured career.
The presenter has been living in South Africa for decades and jets back and forth to the UK for her filming commitments.
© InstagramIt’s in South Africa that she met her now partner, cameraman Nick Chevallier. The duo have been together since 2013, with no intention of tying the knot. At least that’s what Michaela told The Mirror in 2018, when asked about her happy relationship: "I think the secret is not to get married", she said.
Married or not, Michaela Strachan is officially a brand-new grandma, so congratulations to the family and a warm welcome to little Huxley!
Words by Alessia Armenise
