Davina McCall: My brain tumour was the best thing that's ever happened to me
Davina McCall has said her brain tumour is 'the greatest thing' that has ever happened to her.
The former Big Brother presenter, 57, revealed that at the time of her diagnosis, she told Michael Douglas, her partner, that if she recovered, the diagnosis would force her to question everything.
McCall told Women's Health UK: 'When I got this brain tumour, I said to Michael: 'If I make it, this will be the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.'
'Because of the learnings, yes – and because of the places I've had to go to deal with it ... I'm sort of going through a slightly mind-blowing phase of my life where I'm just asking questions about everything.'
She added: 'I keep thinking: I've survived this thing, but I don't know how that happened or why it happened.'
The TV presenter, also known for The Masked Singer and My Mum, Your Dad, found out about her colloid cyst after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.
She underwent surgery in November last year to remove the mass and had to spend time in intensive care following the procedure. However, McCall was quick to update fans through her social media that she was 'on the mend' and feeling 'really lucky in my life'.
Speaking about her recovery after the operation, the TV star described it as 'mega' and explained that every achievement 'felt like a massive win'.
McCall said: 'The whole start back into life again after the operation was amazing – mega.
'And [in the midst of] that feeling of anxiety and institutionalisation – of your house being the only safe place, of forgetting how to function in a normal way – everything felt like a massive win.'
She credited exercise with helping her recover, saying it was 'the last bit of joy' to come back into her life after her short-term memory started to come back.
The presenter, who has been a long-time advocate for women's health, added that the biggest challenge for her was 'letting go' of control.
'I think letting go is probably my toughest kind of journey,' she said. 'It's something that I struggle with so much and I think it's because, since [I was] a little girl, controlling things or making sure everything is just so has made me feel safe.'
According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50 and symptoms include headaches, blackouts and behavioural changes.
McCall has been influential in advocating for greater awareness of issues connected to contraception and the menopause for women.
Recent years have seen a surge in women turning to hormone therapy, with many crediting the 'Davina effect' after McCall made a series of documentaries about her own experience of the menopause.
She has also raised money for Cancer Research UK by running the Race For Life in honour of her sister Caroline Baday, who died from lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 50.
McCall's full interview is available in the June issue of Women's Health UK, on sale now.
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