PODCAST: On the Marie Curie Couch with Michaela Strachan
In the latest episode of On the Marie Curie Couch, Michaela Strachan sits down with bereavement expert Jason Davidson.
Michaela is a TV presenter who's fronted a variety of programmes, from The Hitman And Her and The Really Wild Show, to Countryfile and Springwatch. Michaela began her career in 1986 presenting children's TV, but these days she's best known as a wildlife presenter and has travelled across the globe filming animals and conservation projects. In this episode of the podcast, Michaela talks to Jason about the deaths and griefs she experienced in 2023, from her best friend, Lucy, to her mother-in-law.
Content note: discussion of death and grief with reference to themes/topics that might be triggering or upsetting.
So many different losses
In the last 12 months there was a lot of loss in my close circle of family and friends. My sister-in-law suffered with cancer for three years and eventually passed in January. Not long after that, my partner's best friend died of a heart attack. After that, one of my best friends lost her 35-year-old son. That's just heartbreakingly sad – to watch a mother go through that kind of loss.
Then my best friend, Lucy, died of breast cancer. I walked that journey with my friend Lucy. Losing her hit me hard. And at the beginning of this year, my 96-year-old mother-in-law passed. We've gone through so many very different losses.
Different grief, different acceptance
[My mother-in-law] very quickly went downhill in ICU and was gone within a week. She died peacefully. There wasn't a huge amount of pain [but] watching anybody go into ICU, attached to all bits of equipment is quite traumatic. And when someone flatlines, even at the age of 96, it's tough to watch that.
But it's a different grief to losing your 55-year-old friend or your friend's 35-year-old son. They're very different deaths. It's different grief and it's different acceptance.
I was filming parakeets when my friend Lucy died. I'll always look at parakeets in a positive way now because they remind me of Lucy. Whenever I see one now, I smile and think of her. I try and turn these things into positives."
Listen now
Tap the link near the top of the page to listen to Michaela's chat with Jason. You can also listen to or download it via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you prefer, you can read a full transcript of the episode.
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If you need support with bereavement or grief, call the Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 or visit mariecurie.org.uk/support
