Michaela Strachan has revealed she only showers twice a week, rarely washes her hands and once ended up with a worm under her skin after eating a sandwich with dirty fingers.
The TV personality, known for her roles in Springwatch and The Really Wild Show, moved to South Africa with her partner Nick Chevallier in 2002.
Based in Cape Town, Strachan welcomed son Oliver – her only child with Chevallier, a cameraman and producer – in 2005 and has since adopted a relaxed attitude to personal hygiene.
Appearing on Monday’s edition of Loose Women – filmed at the Eden Project to mark Earth Day – the presenter, 58, admitted her laissez-faire approach to cleanliness came from the need to save money water while living in South Africa during a drought.
When asked if she considered herself a “nature girl” due to her rugged surroundings, she replied, “I think if you have kids, if they come home really dirty, you know they had a good day.
Michaela Strachan has revealed she only showers twice a week, rarely washes her hands and once ended up with a worm under her skin after eating a sandwich with dirty fingers.
The TV personality, known for her roles in Springwatch and The Really Wild Show, moved to South Africa with her partner Nick Chevallier in 2002.
“I’m not the type of mother who looks at a child and says, ‘Oh, get him washed.’ » It’s like no, you had a great day, you’re depressed, you’re dirty, brilliant. ‘
Strachan also admitted that she isn’t particular about basic hygiene, adding: “I’m not fussy about hand washing and such, I think we’re way too clean, all of us.”
“I went through a country with very severe droughts and so we learned to only shower every three days.”
The presenter also recalled an unsavory hygiene incident that left her with a bug under her skin while filming with a group of animals.
She said: “At the time I was working in zoos a lot, so I was in cages, I was around animals and I wasn’t washing my hands properly. Then I ate a sandwich. So it was because of animal feces that I ended up catching a worm that was under my skin.
“It was itchy, and then I asked my partner to take a picture and you could see this kind of worm under the skin.”
When asked if she was “freaked out” by the situation, she added: “I grew attached to this man – literally! I ended up giving him a little name, you know, “Guillaume the Worm.”
“So I had some worm tablets to try and get rid of them [but it] I didn’t touch it.
Appearing on Loose Women on Monday – filmed at the Eden Project to mark Earth Day – the presenter admitted her laissez-faire habits came from living in South Africa during a drought.
“I’m not particular about hand washing and stuff, I think we’re all way too clean,” she told the panel.
The presenter also recalled an unsavory hygiene incident that left her with a bug under her skin while filming with a group of animals.
Strachan revealed she “had no symptoms”, adding: “It was still there six months later.” It didn’t affect me in any way. It was a symbiotic relationship between me and the worm.
“I took a double dose of worm tablets – I had to end this love affair.”
The presenter recently admitted she “forgot she had cancer” until a friend “reminded her to celebrate” the 10th anniversary of her diagnosis.
Strachan’s world was turned upside down in 2014 when she discovered she had breast cancer and had a double mastectomy.
But in what has been one of her darkest times, Strachan said she “wanted to celebrate” a full decade since her cancer scare.
Talk to OK! magazine, she said: “Someone must have reminded me, but I’ve had a cancer scare for 10 years. They said “Are you going to party?” and I suddenly thought “Oh my god, I should!”
“Stupidly I hadn’t thought about it because I actually forget that I had cancer.”
She added: “I’m a survivor and I know how lucky I am.”