Michaela Strachan speaks out on Chris Packham and Jeremy Clarkson feud as she shares real reason for rivalry
Michaela Strachan has offered her candid assessment of the ongoing rivalry between her co-star Chris Packham and Jeremy Clarkson days after missing out on Dancing on Ice glory.
The 58-year-old wildlife presenter and Packham have been co-presenters for three decades and will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their beloved show Springwatch in May this year.
“We’ve got an incredibly loyal audience that wants escapism when they watch our show, they want the joy of nature,” Strachan told The Telegraph about Springwatch.
The presenter added that viewers: “don’t want to be preached at, although obviously there’s a lot of environmental stuff that we’d like to talk about.”
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Her comment led her to reflect on her co-host, who is known for his outspoken environmentalism.
“I think you need Chris Packhams in this world. And I think because of his autism, he doesn’t care what people think about him.
“If people start throwing insults at him, that spurs him on,” she explained.
Packham has faced serious backlash for his passionate campaigning which Strachan admitted she “could not cope with” if she was in his shoes.
One of the most notable sources of “insults” aimed at Packham is presenter and writer Jeremy Clarkson, 63.
Both Clarkson and Packham have long been engaged in verbal tit-for-tats, dating as far back to Clarkson’s controversial Meghan Markle column in 2022 where Packham called for imprisonment.
More recently, the pair locked horns over Taylor Swift’s use of private jets to fly between concerts.
Trying to make sense of the feud, Strachan described the pair “provocative males” who were bound to rub each other the wrong way.
The wildlife presenter also likened Packham and Clarkson “silverbacks in their own fields”.
Elsewhere, Strachan was celebrating her successful run on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, performing alongside fan-favourite pro Mark Hanretty.
While falling short of ultimate glory, with Coronation Street star Sam Aston and Molly Lanaghan emerging as champions, the 58-year-old’s performance was celebrated as Dancing on Ice’s oldest contestant.
Chief among her supporters was Packham, who Strachan revealed had spent 40 minutes on the phone to her ahead of the finale.
“Mich, you’ve got to win this,” she recalled him encouraging.