Reviewing Dancing on Ice 2025 now feels like a lifetime ago, as we are well into 2026—Michaela Strachan was an absolute revelation. She was at the top of the leaderboard, looking as if she had discovered the fountain of youth and basically showing the kids how to do it. But all through that run, there was this recurring question in the UK tabloids: “Where’s Nick Chevallier?”
You might expect him to be there, no? Sitting in the front row, cheering, perhaps waving a sparkly sign. But nope. He’s stuck in Cape Town. And the why is actually funny when you consider it. Michaela told Hello! Magazine, Nick Chevallier is essentially scared of ice. Dude has spent his life filming Great White sharks and traversing the African bush; put his partner on a pair of skates, and he’s a nervous wreck. He is at home because he can’t stand the prospect of a “skating accident” he has witnessed copious times on the internet.
It’s a bit mental, isn’t it? This dude is a heavyweight in the wildlife film world. He has thirty years of grit under his fingernails. But the ITV cameras are too much for him.
More Than Just a “Plus One”
Look, most people in the UK only know Nick Chevallier as “the boyfriend.” But honestly? That’s doing him a massive disservice. He’s not some hanger-on. He’s one of those cinematographers who actually gives a toss about the planet.
I was looking into his latest project, Wild Coast Warriors, which has been doing the rounds at the big festivals like Mountainfilm and DCEFF through 2024 and 2025. It’s not your average “nature is pretty” fluff. It’s about the Shell oil case in South Africa—the big legal fight where local communities told the oil giants to sod off.
Nick didn’t just film it; he lived it. He’s been based in Cape Town since forever, and he’s got this deep, lived-in connection to the coast there. When you watch his stuff, you can tell he isn’t some London director flying in for a week to get “local colour.” He’s got the trust of the people on the ground. That’s why his work feels so raw. It’s got a bit of dirt on it.
The “Not Married” Secret
One thing that always gets me is how the press keeps asking them when they’re getting hitched. They’ve been together since 2003. Twenty-three years! In “celebrity years,” that’s basically a century.
Michaela’s pat response is that not marrying is the secret sauce. And maybe she’s onto something. They spend a fair amount of time apart, work-wise—she’s often in the U.K. for Springwatch or Dancing on Ice in 2025, and he’s out in the wilderness with a camera. As they say, time apart seems to have forged something remarkably solid.
They met on a job in Cape Town. Their first date was a hike up a mountain while carrying a bottle of wine. I mean, look at that versus a tiny coffee shop inside Leicester Square. No contest, really.
The Heavy Stuff
It hasn’t all been sunshine and mountain hikes, though. People forget that these two have really been through the absolute wringer. Nick Chevallier lost his first wife to cancer before he met Michaela. He became a widower, with three children. Then, a decade later, Michaela is diagnosed with breast cancer and must undergo a double mastectomy.
Can you imagine that? For Nick, it must have felt like a cruel joke. Seeing the person you love go through the same thing that took your first wife… that’s heavy. But they’re still standing. They’ve built this massive, complicated, beautiful blended family.
Their son Ollie is 19 now, and by all accounts, he’s the one who kept everyone sane. And here’s the latest—as of early 2026, Nick is officially a grandad twice over. His son Tom had a lad last year, and his stepdaughter Jadie was due recently too. So while Michaela is doing the “Bolero” on ITV, Nick is probably back home in South Africa, changing nappies or hiding from the telly.
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Why We Should Care
There was a piece in Ogilvy On Live (shouting out the shift to human authenticity) recently about how everything is becoming “too AI” and fake. They mentioned that people are craving “human authenticity.” That’s exactly what Nick’s work is.
He’s part of this 2026 movement of filmmakers who are moving away from the “voice of God” BBC style and toward something more community-focused. DollarTimes UK recently called him a “Master Wildlife Filmmaker,” and it’s a title he’s earned. He’s not trying to be famous. He’s trying to be useful.
Quick Facts for the Curious
- Relationship Status: Still “happily unmarried” after 20+ years.
- The Big 2026 News: He’s a double grandfather now.
- Latest Project: Wild Coast Warriors (the Shell oil legal battle documentary).
- Location: Based in Cape Town, South Africa.
- The Ice Factor: He won’t watch Michaela live on Dancing on Ice because he was too scared of her falling.
Common Questions About Nick Chevallier
Is Nick actually married to Michaela Strachan yet?
Nope. They’ve been together for roughly 23 years now, and they still haven’t bothered with a wedding. Michaela’s been pretty blunt about it in recent interviews, saying they don’t see the point in the expense. Honestly, it seems to work for them—she’s always back and forth between the UK and South Africa, and they reckon the time apart is what keeps them from killing each other. You can see her chatting about their “unmarried bliss” over at The Mirror.
What’s he been filming lately?
His big project for 2024 and 2025 was a documentary called Wild Coast Warriors. It’s a proper David vs. Goliath story about indigenous South African communities taking on Shell to stop oil drilling. It’s been winning awards all over the place. It’s gritty stuff—not your typical “look at the pretty lions” documentary. There’s a good breakdown of the film’s impact on the South African Film Festival site.
Why was he never in the audience for Dancing on Ice?
It’s not because he was a bad partner. Michaela admitted that Nick is basically a big softie when it comes to her getting hurt. He spent too much time watching “skating fail” videos on YouTube, and now he’s convinced she’s going to break something. Plus, he stays in South Africa to look after their home and family while she’s doing the “showbiz” thing in London.
Does he have children?
Yes, he has a huge blended family. His three children from his first marriage are Jade, Tom, and Sam. Then in 2005, he and Michaela had their son, Ollie. By now, in early 2026, Nick is also a granddad twice over, which makes you scratch your head a little when you picture him as this rugged outdoorsman.
What’s his background in film?
The bloke has been doing this for 30-plus years. He’s done work with the heavy hitters like the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery. He’s more than just a cameraman; he’s a director and producer obsessed with “socio-environmental” stories. You can check out his professional profile and the sort of heavy-duty work he does on the DCEFF filmmaker page.
Honestly, I think we need more blokes like Nick Chevallier. Someone who’s happy to let his partner take the spotlight while he does the hard, quiet work in the background. It’s a rare thing these days. Anyway, that’s the lowdown on the man himself. He’s a cinematographer, a dad, a grandad, and apparently, the most nervous partner in Britain right now.
