Michaela Strachan has gushed that she feels '20 years younger' and is back to proudly wearing bikinis after getting fitter than ever while training on Dancing On Ice.

The Springwatch presenter, 58, has been competing in the ITV skating show since the start of January alongside professional skater Mark Hanretty, and has beaten out eight other celebrities to make the final.

She will be facing off stiff competition to be crowned the winner on Sunday night, from Coronation Street star Sam Aston, 31, and former footballer Anton Ferdinand, 40.

But win or lose, Michaela already feels victorious after all her hard work on the show has left her in her best shape in years and more confident in her body than ever before.

Ahead of the final this weekend, she explained the gruelling training had caused her to shed the pounds and become 'energised' from the release of endorphins, revealing she referred to the show as 'my little bubble of skating joy'.

She told The Mirror: 'I feel 20 years younger because I’m using my body in a different way and just feeling so much fitter. My body is probably in the best shape it's been for a long time. 

'I've lost weight and I've toned up. I'm 58 years old and I’ve got a smaller waist than I had 20 years ago.'

Michaela explained how she'd previously switched to wearing one-piece swimsuits as she got older, admitting her body was 'not particularly something I wanted to show off.'

However, she happily added: 'But when I went home for Christmas, for the first time in ages I wore a bikini because I thought this body isn't going to last, this shape is not going to last, let’s show it off!'  

She explained that getting so far in the competition had shown her that age shouldn't stop her from pushing herself, admitting she'd be 'hugely proud' to be the first female winner since 2013 and the oldest champion ever.

And her hopes could come true, as the bookies have labelled her as the out-right favourite to take home the trophy on Sunday.

The naturalist confessed she hoped her example would help other older women to try things beyond their comfort zone and to be 'fearless'.

She added: 'Sometimes as women we can limit ourselves by thinking we shouldn’t be doing something because of our age, but that’s nonsense. We shouldn’t be holding ourselves back just because of our age.'

Bookmaker Coral has marked Michaela as a frontrunner from the start of the competition, putting her odds for the final at 4-7, with Sam following behind her at 6-4 and Anton a 20-1 outsider.

Coral's John Hill said: 'Michaela Strachan is the odds-on favourite to win this year's Dancing On Ice final, after the three finalists were confirmed. 

'She tops the betting ahead of Sam Aston, while Anton Ferdinand is the outsider of the three contestants remaining'.

Last week's semi-final saw Dan Edgar and pro partner Vanessa James became the latest couple eliminated, just missing out on a place in the grand final.

The TOWIE star, 34, landed in the skate off alongside Anton after judges set the contestants the challenge of including a solo perfomance in their routines. 

And despite his best efforts, judges Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Oti Mabuse and Jordan Banjo all decided to save ex footballer Anton.

Reflecting on his time in the competition Dan said: 'I have had an amazing experience, I am very grateful for it. We did out best tonight and I walk away with my head held high'.

However despite the skating and judge Jordan's dance group Diversity performing, viewers branding the show 'boring' and begged for the series to 'call it a day' - amid rumours plummeting ratings could result the competition being axed. 

A source told The Mirror there are concerns behind the scenes that falling viewership could spell the end for the skating series after 20 years on air. 

Dancing On Ice has lost over a million viewers in the last two years, with its 2023 launch drawing in 4.1million yet no episode this series has made it above 3million. 

A source said: 'There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. It's had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there's just not enough of them. 

'We need bums on seats but the ratings have dropped to a point where it's difficult to justify the cost.

An ITV spokeswoman told the publication: 'The Dancing on Ice team is fully concentrating on the much anticipated series finale this coming Sunday and therefore no decision has been made.'