Davina McCall says 'I'm not afraid of dying' after brain tumour operation
Davina McCall has opened up about overcoming a brain tumour, revealing it has transformed her outlook on life and she is "no longer afraid of dying".
The TV host bravely faced surgery last year to remove a colloid cyst that posed the risk of sending her into a coma if ignored. The 57-year-old stumbled upon the tumour during a routine health check in 2023.
Davina consulted with four neurosurgeons globally before deciding to undergo removal in November. Since then, she has reflected on how confronting this potential catastrophe in her head has reshaped her view on existence.
She shared: "It was the best gift because I am not afraid of dying anymore. I have lived the life I wanted and I am not lying there going, 'I wish I'd done that thing. I wish I'd done that job. I wish I'd not stayed in this relationship. I haven't lived the life I want.'".
"I mean, it's a really amazing place to get to, not being scared of dying. I think having no regrets and feeling like you are living fully in the life you want to be in, it's quite rare."
With concerns about surviving the operation, she meticulously prepared for how her children would manage without her and discussed the situation with her partner Michael Douglas, reports the Mirror.
Acknowledging that her children Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18, were flourishing gave the former Big Brother presenter the courage to proceed with the surgery.
"I was really worried about my kids," revealed Davina, as she discussed confronting her own mortality after medics found a colloid cyst that could have left her in a coma without surgical removal.
"I went forensic. I'm thinking about my children and where they were at in their life, what stage they were at. You're only as happy as your unhappiest child, right?
"And I came to a realisation after about six months of cross-examining them about their life and telling them the whole time how much I've loved my life, my eldest daughter caught on. She was like, 'you are not dying'. But I realised that they would be great, they'd miss me, I want to be with them, but they would be okay. I felt like I could go to sleep on the operating table and know that they were all here to help me. But I can let go of the outcome."
The podcaster's surgery last year proved entirely successful, with her recovery nothing short of extraordinary.
However, as she braced herself for the procedure, it wasn't solely her children occupying her thoughts.
Davina also rebuilt bridges with her stepmother and made peace with life's turbulent moments, including her battle with substance abuse.
At the Happy Place Festival over the weekend, she admitted: "Part of my, 'am I okay to let go of my life?' has been to examine all of my past.
"And I wouldn't change anything because without sounding arrogant, because it isn't, I love myself. I have been on a massive life journey and I've been through terrible struggles. We've been talking a lot about a calamity vitae instead of a curriculum vitae because I think when you go for a job, 'so what you learned at school?'".
"It's like what have you learned at the University of Life? How many calamities have you been through? Because that's where the learning comes from. I've learned that if something really hard happens, it's a good thing.
"I was like to Michael, 'If I make it through this brain surgery. It's going to be the best thing that's ever happened to me.'".
"The learning that I have made in the two years since I found out about it, has been so immense and enriching in my life. I wouldn't change that for the world. But when it happened, obviously it was like another calamity coming. But do not be afraid of disasters, they will make you better."
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