Davina McCall's toughest moment after terrifying brain tumour surgery

Daily Mirror

20-05-2025

Davina McCall has opened up after going under the knife to remove a benign tumour from her brain and admits that not having control over her life was a tough journey
Davina McCall has revealed that letting go of the control she had over her life was her toughest journey. Last year, the veteran TV presenter underwent surgery after doctors discovered a tumour on her brain. The tumour was later confirmed to be benign.
The former Big Brother presenter first discovered her colloid cyst after being offered a health check due to her ongoing work surrounding the menopause. Following the surgery, Davina was admitted to an intensive care unit but later updated fans, confirming she was "on the mend" and felt "really lucky."
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Now, Davina, 57, admits that it was the "greatest thing" that happened to her. However, speaking in a new interview with Women's Health UK, she explained that letting go was her "toughest journey" as she was so used to being in control of her life. She told the publication: "I think letting go is probably my toughest kind of journey.
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"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…
"There have been moments where things have happened – like drugs and being with my mum sometimes – where I [felt] completely unsafe and it's often because I had no control, like everything's gone mad, no one's behaving normally. I can't tell what's going to happen."
Despite the terrifying ordeal, she told her partner, Michael Douglas, that if she made a recovery, her tumour would be the "greatest thing" that would happen to her.
She explained: "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. I keep thinking: I've survived this thing, but I don't know how that happened or why it happened."
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Davina's admission comes just days after she made an unexpected appearance on Britain's Got Talent. During TK Magic's performance on Sunday's semi-final, he correctly guessed that judge Amanda Holden would choose a number on a placard which had Davina's name alongside it.
He later asked Amanda to FaceTime Davina during the show, leaving both the TV star and Holden gobsmacked. But as her impromptu appearance came to an end, she shared a touching message to her friend Amanda.
She said: "I just very quickly want to say thank you to Amanda Holden, who, after my operation, made the schlep all the way down the country to come to see me. I really, really appreciate you. Thank you." The NHS states that non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50.
Symptoms include headaches, seizures, changes in eyesight, feeling dizzy or sleepy, speech problems, behavioural changes and even blackouts. While surgery is commonly used to remove the tumour, other treatments include radiotherapy, which uses radiation to kill the cells, and chemotherapy.
The full interview is available in the June issue of Women's Health UK, on sale now