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."
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Unassuming 1937 book worth £24k - and other books that could land you a cash windfall
Experts have warned that it's easy to underestimate the value of first edition novels If you've got a collection of old books gathering dust at home, it might be time to take a second glance. Specialists are now highlighting the potential fortune to be found in first-edition novels, with one sought-after title fetching a whopping £24,000 last year. The book causing a stir is none other than J. R.R. Tolkien's 1937 masterpiece 'There and Back Again', also known as 'The Hobbit'. Set in Middle Earth, this story chronicles Bilbo Baggins, wizard Gandalf, and 13 dwarves on their quest to recover treasure guarded by the formidable dragon Smaug. The story leapt from page to big screen in 2012, becoming a cinematic sensation 75 years after its original release, with Martin Freeman portraying the Hobbit. Last May, Kinghams Auctioneers predicted that the original book would fetch 'between £7,000 and £10,000', with just 1,500 copies published in September 1937. However, on the day of the auction, the novel fetched more than twice that estimate, selling for an eye-watering £24,000. "When published it was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction," the auctioneers explained previously, according to the Mirror. "It is illustrated in black and white by Tolkien who also designed the dust cover. During the war, the book was unavailable due to paper rationing. On the first edition, first impression there is a manual correction on the rear inner flap for 'Dodgeson', (better known as Lewis Carroll)." While first editions of The Hobbit usually fetch between £6,000 and over £20,000 at auction, signed copies can exceed £60,000 in value. With this in mind, David Joyson, a home insurance expert at Homeprotect, recommends a thorough search of personal book collections for potential hidden gems. This isn't just applicable to old versions of The Hobbit, either. In 2024, Hanson Auctioneers revealed that one first-edition Harry Potter book, initially purchased for £10 in 1997, went under the hammer for £36,000. Other copies have reached £64,000 and £12,000 at Rare Book Auctions. "It's amazing to see how much the value of these novels has increased, and during tough financial times, it may inspire a lot of us to dig through our garages, attics, and storage units for hidden treasures that may be worth far more than expected," Mr Joyson said. "First edition books are a highly collectable and often overlooked and underestimated item of value, so before you give away or donate your old children's books, do your research to ensure you aren't throwing away a small fortune. "If you have any of these valuable items lying around your home, or if you come across an item you think may have a high value, get them professionally valued, so you know if they are worth insuring and to avoid underinsuring. "Rare or antique books may be covered by your contents insurance, but it's always worth checking the specific policy terms with your insurer and to confirm that you have an adequate amount of contents cover." Specialists at We Buy Books also last year revealed several other books that could fetch you a hefty sum. Among them are: First Edition Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - worth approximately £1,000 First Edition Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - worth approximately £5,000 First Edition Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald - worth approximately £10,370 First Edition James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming - worth approximately £13,000
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd's lavish wedding revealed as 'no expense spared'
Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd's wedding plans have finally been revealed just before he prepares to say 'I do' to his fiancée Hanni Treweek in front of his soap co-stars Jack P Shepherd is ready to say 'I do' to his fiancée and has made sure no expense has been spared to make their day perfect. The Coronation Street actor, 37, is set to marry Hanni Treweek this weekend in a lavish ceremony. They met on the set of the soap and got engaged in June 2024 while on a Tanzania safari trip. While on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, Jack revealed his plans to marry Hanni this summer. He managed to keep most of the details under wraps as he previously told the Mirror: "The wedding is this year. We're very excited. It's all done. "It's all paid for. It should be a really good day actually. I love a wedding. Absolutely love a wedding. Weddings and funerals." Now, it has been revealed that Jack is set to tie the knot at Manchester Cathedral surrounded by his Corrie co-stars. "Jack and Hanni are having their big white wedding at Manchester Cathedral on Saturday," a source told The Sun. "They have gone all out to make sure it's their dream day and there has been no expensed spared." They added: "It's a very grand setting getting wed at the cathedral, and it will be packed with guests, including many of Jack's Corrie co-stars." Jack and Hanni will then reportedly entertain their guests at the five-star Lowry hotel for their after party. The actor has soaked up the wedding planning, yet he did reveal one part he would leave out. He didn't have a stag do and didn't want one. A few months ago he admitted: "No, I don't like the idea of going on a stag do where someone just takes the p*** out of you all weekend and you're the butt of every joke and you have to dress up like a f***ing baby.' Hanni did have a mini hen party, however, as she headed for lunch and cocktails at The Ivy with her pals. She sipped on a 'Bride' straw while her mates donned masks with Jack's face on. "The non hen party party, two weeks before the wedding," Hanni shared. "25 years of a special friendship with these beautiful girlies, how lucky are we. "I love you all so much, thank you for throwing me a non hen party party it was perfect. The next time I see you I'll be walking down the aisle." The bride-to-be has also made sure the couple are dancefloor ready for their big day as she revealed they have been taking dance classes. She shared a snap of the pair in a dance studio and teased: "Hungover but dancing through as Mrs Shepherd to be." Hanni and Jack have been dating since 2017 and they decided to go public a year later. During an appearance on Loose Women, the couple discussed their future plans, including marriage and children. Hanni said: "I think we fell quite quickly and from that we just clicked, and we were on the same page, and you do have those conversations but yeah I think we would like to... in the future."
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
How reality TV has changed the way we think
It was 17 August 2000 and a group of people were huddled around a computer screen in the BBC TV newsroom, when suddenly there came a collective gasp. One of the group turned around and announced, very solemnly: "Nasty Nick's gone."Nick Bateman - a housemate in the UK reality TV show Big Brother - was found to have attempted to "manipulate" his fellow contestant's votes, and was asked to leave the reality TV house. It would become front-page saga prompted a nationwide moral debate, not only about the incident but the very existence of the for the London Evening Standard one TV critic accused Big Brother's top executive Peter Bazalgette of "smearing excrement over our screens". A reviewer from The Herald newspaper denounced the housemates as "fakers, chancers, dullards, no-marks, and dimwits".Yet Britons voted with their feet (or their remote controls). Some 10 million people tuned in for the finale on 15 September - marking the start of a major cultural shift. Now, 25 years on, reality TV is one of the most popular genres on screens in the UK. The Traitors attracted more than 10 million viewers for the opening episode of third series in January. And Love Island UK may have seen audiences shrink since its episode peak of six million in 2019, but it has still been renewed 10 times. For years, the dark sides of reality TV have been unpicked. There have been concerning, in some cases devastating, impacts on the contestants of certain shows, which has rightly prompted change. As for critics, some have continued to dismiss many reality TV shows as superficial escapism, at best - or, at worst, harmfully closely, however, and a small clutch of psychologists and social experts are quietly starting to tell a different story - one that suggests that the impact of watching reality TV might not be as bad for brains (or social consciences) as it may seem. Some suggest that it could help viewers build a better grasp of perspectives outside our realm of experience, or even overcome biases."Reality TV has historically been more diverse demographically than other forms of media," says Danielle Lindemann, a sociology professor at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania."[It] casts a spotlight over patches of the social landscape that we don't always see, so in that way, it can be a tool for greater social understanding." A glimpse behind the curtain The UK Big Brother, based on a Dutch television series of the same name, brought together a group of 10 strangers in a house in 64 days, contestants were sealed off from the outside world and their every move filmed, with viewers voting out roughly one person each week until a winner was handed the £70,000 was truly innovative wasn't the competition format but the connection between the audiences and the ordinary people whose lives inside the house played out on screen."That didn't exist before," says Dr Jacob Johanssen, associate professor of communications at St Mary's University, who researches the psychological effects of reality TV. "For the first time, viewers started seeing ordinary people on television who weren't celebrities, which is a very different phenomenon." Today reality TV covers a broad spectrum — from fly-on-the-wall dramas that document the lives of friends (The Only Way is Essex, Geordie Shore, Made in Chelsea) to competition-based shows (Survivor, The Traitors, Love Island) that revolve around the 'reality' of contestants' its power remains the same - each offers a glimpse into the dramas of real peoples' lives - a chance to see behind the curtain."You do see lots of unfiltered, raw emotions… in these different programmes," continues Dr Johanssen. "If we see them in real life, usually that would happen in the private sphere, certainly not in public." 'People feel less isolated or alienated' Dr Johanssen has worked on the reality show Embarrassing Bodies, which features patients consulting with doctors, aiming to destigmatise common health he sees it, "even though there are lots of problematic aspects to it, it made people aware there are different kinds of body types, there are different conditions people might have."It perhaps made people feel less isolated or alienated." The same can go for disability awareness. Pete Bennett, the winner of the 2006 series of Big Brother, was a livewire personality who won over the public, also happened to have Tourette's appearance on the show felt groundbreaking at a time when disability awareness and representation in the UK was nowhere near current understanding - and it gave enough screen time for a mass audience to both be introduced to Tourette's, but also warm to Pete."I'd get bullied a lot with Tourette's," Pete explained of his time before Big Brother. "I couldn't really go out and enjoy myself without being ridiculed or started on because of my ticks." But he adds: "I've never been bullied since leaving the house." Then there are the conversations about uncomfortable, and sometimes controversial, subjects that contestants have delved into too - in some cases a lightning rod for national the years, several Love Island contestants have been accused of "gaslighting," a potential form of coercive control, which is a criminal offence. It has prompted much discussion on social media, in one instance leading Women's Aid to release a Helen Wood of Lancaster University, who researches and advises on the ethics and practices of reality TV, recalls a separate discussion about domestic abuse and argues that raising this can be a positive."I remember a big debate about Love Island and whether it allows… a conversation on what domestic abuse looks like?" she says. "For some audiences that could be triggering, for some audiences that could be helpful." Insights into social cues… and deception Faye Winter was 26 when she appeared on Love Island. She worked as a lettings manager at the time, but lamented there were, as she saw it, "no fit men in Devon", where she lived, so she applied for the show and joined the 2021 series. Quickly, she partnered up with Teddy Soares, a financial consultant originally from Manchester. "From a girl's standpoint, they're going to have to get used to me stirring a few pots and causing a bit of a ruckus," he told ITV after signing up. The promised ruckus soon materialised, after Faye was shown a clip in which Teddy admitted to being sexually attracted to another heated, expletive-filled shouts, in which she called Teddy two-faced, prompted almost 25,000 complaints to considered her response disrespectful and an "overreaction". Yet other viewers strongly identified with her."I got a lot of trolling for it," she later told a newspaper. "[But] I got a lot of people who said they've been through it".Dr Rosie Jahng, an associate professor of communications from Wayne State University in Michigan, believes that the insights offered by reality TV into social cues, body language, and deception, can be valuable."It becomes like testing a moral boundary – we start to ask, 'what would I do in that situation?'" When reality TV becomes 'constructed' reality Understanding how others react in situations can in itself be informative, or prompt self-reflection. But what happens when reality TV deviates away from documented reality to a murkier type of "constructed" reality?A former Made in Chelsea cast member previously explained how it worked when she was on the show. "The producers spoke to us on the phone for hours every week," Francesca "Cheska" Hull, who appeared from the first series, previous said in an interview. "They'd come on nights out with us. They put us in situations that created drama." She stressed that scripts weren't used but added, "You knew the conversations you had to have".On the surface, at least, this seems to deviate from the idea of following raw emotions. But psychologists have suggested that even constructed reality can have benefits."It can potentially offer benefits to viewers and society because it can lead to wider conversations about the world we want to live in," argues Dr Johanssen. "For instance when it comes to problematic or unethical behaviour or questions of gender identity and inequality for example." The darker side of reality TV The experiences of people who appear on the shows, however, raises an entirely different set of questions."We have to separate out the value of a show sparking a conversation and what's happening to participants," explains Prof Wood. "A lot of shows, especially early shows, were about putting people in very difficult situations that were trauma-inducing."During the 2007 series of Celebrity Big Brother, actress Shilpa Shetty found herself at the centre of a race and bullying row, after a fellow contestant called her "Shilpa poppadum". The incident sparked a national conversation about racism. "With the Shilpa Shetty case… there were lots of complaints where people felt someone was being bullied or not being treated well on screen," says Prof Wood. "I think that moment enabled a sort of shift. We don't want to see that anymore."More recently, some Love Island contestants have spoken about their experiences of poor mental health following the show, as well as struggles with the relentless scrutiny.A UK parliamentary committee carried out an inquiry into reality TV in 2019, and said its "decision to launch the inquiry into reality TV comes after the death of a guest following filming for The Jeremy Kyle Show and the deaths of two former contestants in the reality dating show Love Island". "We're still not there in terms of whether participants are completely adequately cared for," argues Dr Johanssen, who submitted evidence to the inquiry. "They have no agency or control over the edit, or what an episode looks like, how somebody is portrayed."However, Love Island's producers have said they've learned how to better support the cast and crew. Revised welfare measures have been introduced including specialised social media training for contestants, as well as video training and guidance on topics including coercive behaviour and avoiding discriminatory also established new rules to protect those appearing on TV and radio reality shows, following a steady rise in complaints over the welfare of guests — saying broadcasters must "properly look after" contributors, particularly those who might be at risk of "significant harm" as a result of taking part."A lot of the broadcasters are saying to us that there's a shift in mood," adds Prof Wood, who is working on a research project looking at care practices in UK reality TV."They want participants… to get something better out of it than they would have in the past." Reflecting society back at itself - or shaping it? The question that remains, however, is what the collective impact is. Is reality TV just holding up a mirror to society, or could it really play an active part in shaping it?Prof Lindemann believes that there are examples of positive connections between the material on reality shows and how viewers engage with the as far back as 2011, it was found to be having an effect on behaviour. She points to one US study which found that girls who watched dating shows like Temptation Island, The Bachelor, or Joe Millionaire were more likely to talk with one another about 2014, a paper was published, cowritten Melissa Kearney an associate professor of economics at the University of Maryland, that drew links between a reduction in teenage birth rates in the US, and the airing of a reality series on MTV called 16 and Pregnant, which offered a brutally honest look at life for pregnant show "was not specifically designed as an anti-teen childbearing campaign," wrote the authors, "but it seems to have had that effect by showing that being a pregnant teen and a new mother is hard."They concluded: "We find that media has the potential to be a powerful driver of social outcomes."One decade on, that certainly hasn't changed. Which makes reality television a powerful tool. In some cases that tool is powerful for the worse - but just sometimes, it really could shape those watching it for the better. Top picture credit: ITV/PA Wire BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
