Frequent flyer Michaela Strachan says meat-eaters cannot criticise her
Springwatch host Michaela Strachan says meat-eaters have no right to criticise her for frequent flights from her South African home to UK for filming
- Springwatch host Michaela Strachan frequently flies to the UK from South Africa
- The 55-year-old said she makes every effort to mitigate environmental impact
- This includes being a vegetarian since age of 18 and using solar panels at home
- She said meat-eating critics have no right because of impact meat industry has
Wildlife TV presenter Michaela Strachan has said meat-eating eco critics have no right to criticise her for taking frequent flights for work because of the impact the meat industry has on the environment.
The Springwatch host admits she is a frequent flyer for her job but tries to offset her carbon footprint by not eating meat, planting trees and using energy from solar panels.
But after being criticised for taking flights while claiming to be green, the 55-year-old hit back by making a comparison to the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Speaking in Platinum magazine, vegetarian Strachan, who now lives in South Africa, fumed: ‘People are so quick to point out people’s negatives without supporting their positives.
Michaela Strachan (pictured in South Africa this week) claimed meat-eaters have no right to criticise her frequent flying for work because of the environmental impact of the meat industry
‘We’ve got solar panels [in our home], I don’t drive an electric car because South Africa has an electricity crisis, but I have a Fiat 500 that’s particularly good on fuel.
‘I do not buy bottled water unless it’s absolutely desperate, and I’ve been vegetarian since I was 18.
‘Anyone that eats meat, don’t criticise me for flying.’
Strachan also urged the public to get behind the government in their efforts to curb climate change and counter the pandemic, instead of focusing on the ‘nitty-gritty’.
She added: ‘Sometimes we focus on the wrong things…
‘Boris Johnson, whatever you think about him, whether you’re for or against him, why don’t we try to support the Government and help them get through these difficult times, rather than find the nitty-gritty stuff and pick, pick, pick all the time?’
The Springwatch presenter, 55, says she makes every effort to mitigate the impact of her flying by being a vegetarian since she was 18, rarely buying bottled water and using solar panels
Strachan came under fire from social media users herself earlier this year after she took to Twitter to complain about a quarantine hotel she was staying at in the UK.
The Springwatch presenter, 55, described the Radisson Hotel in Hounslow, west London, as a ‘posh prison’, saying she was watched by eight security guards while taking a walk and taking objection to being served white bread.
But furious followers deemed her remarks out of line – forcing the TV host to bite back, claiming she was being ‘tongue-in-cheek’.
‘I feel the urge to clarify,’ she tweeted on Wednesday – her third day of quarantine. She went on: ‘Of course there are disadvantaged people who would find this b/fast a feast.
‘That’s not the point. My point is about value for money. My tweet was supposed to be tongue in cheek, but I really don’t think expecting value for money makes me spoilt?’
Yet this was met with further backlash, with one follower replying: ‘You didn’t just come off as spoiled, you came off judgmental with it. Cereal, toast, fruit & yoghurt pretty much are the standard breakfasts of the nation.
Clarification: However the star received some backlash for the comments and later took to social media to explain
‘It wasn’t that you wanted more for the money that we heard- it’s that you look down on those who consume standard staples.’
Another replied: ‘Perhaps complain to the hotel via Trip Advisor or ring reception. It seems a little insensitive at the moment when government are cutting £20 Universal Credit top!’
Many leapt to her defence, with one posting: ‘Dear oh dear oh me !!! What is the world coming to when you can’t complain about a lousy breakfast… You work B****Y hard and I wish people would STOP JUDGING others by just one comment. You should NOT have to apologise.’
‘I fully understood your tweet and can’t see how it could possibly have been misunderstood.
‘Clarity shouldn’t have been necessary and I wouldn’t have been happy either. You’ll always get some looking for reaction on Twitter. Looking forward to Autumnwatch,’ another loyal fan wrote.
Strachan presented The Really Wild Show from 1993 to 2006 alongside Chris Packham, 60, who she also presents with on Springwatch and Autumnwatch.
She lives in Hout Bay, in South Africa’s Cape Town, with son Oliver, 16, and long-term partner Nick Chevallier.
In 2014 Strachan revealed she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
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