Latest news with #KevinONeill
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Singing coach Yvie Burnett left with a spinal fracture after collapsing at home following a brain health scare
As she woke up on the floor of her home in severe pain and with no memory of how she had got there, Yvie Burnett feared something was drastically wrong with her brain. However, following weeks of nerve-wracking tests and scans, the Scots singing coach to the stars has now spoken of her relief after she was given the all clear by a leading neurosurgeon. Ms Burnett - known for her work on The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and The Voice - was rushed to her local hospital in Bedford at the start of April after collapsing at home. The mezzo soprano had been suffering from stomach pains for a week when she suddenly found herself on the floor of her spare room with severe back pain after passing out. At hospital, doctors discovered she had fractured her spine in the fall but were unsure as to what had caused her to lose consciousness. This led to weeks of tests, including a CT and MRI scan and an appointment with Kevin O'Neill - the celebrated neurosurgeon credited with saving Davina McCall 's life after he removed a benign tumour from her brain. Speaking to the Mail after she was given the good news, Ms Burnett said: 'He told me there is no damage done to my head or brain and also that it was not caused by something in my brain. 'I'm just grateful to know there's nothing terrible going on. It's good to know you've come out the other side.' Ms Burnett, from Aberdeen, said she will have some more health assessments to rule other potential causes for her collapse. However, for now, she is relieved that the 'big worry' that her health scare had stemmed from something seriously wrong with her brain had been ruled out. Discussing the shock of what she has been through, she said: 'It shows you that things can change in a heartbeat.' Following her collapse, Ms Burnett said she has found her mobility extremely restricted, that she can only walk slowly and can't bend over because of the damage to her spine. She also said she has to change position regularly when she is in bed to stop her body from seizing up and has been on a course of morphine for the ongoing pain. During this period, she said her family and friends, including TV presenter Carol Vorderman, have been a huge support. She said: 'They drew up a rota and were all turning up to look after me. Vorders was even doing the hoovering.' She also praised her daughter Emily, 30, and son Ollie, 27, for their support. During her period of ill health, Ms Burnett had shared a photo of her in bed after her daughter Emily had braided her hair to keep it neat as she spent long periods sleeping. The Scots singing coach had a health scare but is coming through the worst In an emotional post, thanking her, Ms Burnett had written: 'The pic with my hair in plaits sums up just how wonderful my daughter Em has been picking up the pieces and doing everything for me for the last few days. She has even plaited my hair because I can't brush it. 'So many friends have brought shopping and even swept the floor and left me hourly voice notes checking on me.' The singer said her neurosurgeon has now advised her that the pain and exhaustion she has experienced after collapsing is likely just her body getting over the 'trauma' of the injuries she sustained. The worrying incident comes after Ms Burnett's husband Gordon Charlton was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) - a very slow-growing form of leukaemia - in 2016. Then, in 2019, it was discovered that he had another cancer - this time in his lymph gland. It was removed and he underwent treatment, with Ms Burnett saying the family are hopeful that particular cancer has been dealt with. Discussing her husband's ongoing health battle with leukaemia, she said: 'We both know that the treatment will be brutal and we've prepared for that.'
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Davina McCall, 57, shows off her trim figure as she returns to exercise after life-saving brain tumour op
TELLY star Davina McCall is cock-a-hoop to be exercising again after brain surgery. The fitness fanatic, 57, poses in pics with gymnastics rings and a vault as she reveals the joy the gym brings her. 3 Masked Singer panellist Davina had a benign tumour removed in November. In the latest issue of Women's Health magazine, the mum of three said of her recovery: 'I felt like my memory was coming back and I was feeling stronger in myself, in my mind. 'But working on my body was going to be the last bit of joy to come back to my life.' Meanwhile, Davina's brain surgeon Kevin O'Neill revealed that he listened to ABBA as he carried out her complex five-hour operation The 62-year-old neurosurgeon says life-saving surgery gets so stressful that his hand could start shaking so he uses music to calm himself. When the top brain expert was asked if he listened to ABBA during The Masked Singer star's surgery in November he said: 'Oh, I was. I love ABBA in theatre. 'Some people like silence to focus — sometimes you do need that — but it's about balancing stress with performance. 'Stress can actually improve your performance to a certain extent, until it becomes excessive and then it paralyses you and it gives you the shakes. 'So you've got to have mechanisms to control that and one of them is to put some music on.' He added that he's such a fan of the Swedish superstars that he's twice been to see their avatar show Voyage. Beaming Davina McCall reveals she's got all clear from brain tumour after life-saving surgery JUNE'S issue of Women's Health UK is on sale now. 3
The Sun
17-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Surgeon who saved Davina McCall's life reveals he listened to iconic band while cutting tumour from star's brain
DAVINA McCall's brain surgeon listened to ABBA as he carried out her complex five-hour operation The Sun on Sunday can reveal. Neurosurgeon Kevin O'Neill, 62, says life-saving surgery gets so stressful that his hand could start shaking so he uses music to calm himself. 4 4 When the top brain expert was asked if he listened to ABBA during The Masked Singer star's surgery in November he said: 'Oh, I was. I love ABBA in theatre. 'Some people like silence to focus — sometimes you do need that — but it's about balancing stress with performance. 'Stress can actually improve your performance to a certain extent, until it becomes excessive and then it paralyses you and it gives you the shakes. 'So you've got to have mechanisms to control that and one of them is to put some music on.' He added that he's such a fan of the Swedish superstars that he's twice been to see their avatar show Voyage. Davina, 57, discovered a 14mm colloid cyst when she was offered a free health scan after giving a talk on the menopause. The TV host faced the risk of sudden death without surgery. Following the procedure, she spent three days in intensive care and then five days recuperating at London's Cleveland Clinic. Speaking to Helen Fospero on the Convex Conversation podcast, Kevin admitted that he was nervous when Davina came round following the surgery. He said: 'She gave us a fright because she was away with the fairies.' Davina McCall breaks down in tears and reveals 'difficult year' But the op proved successful, and a recent MRI scan confirmed the tumour is not coming back. Kevin said: 'I had a big smile on my face when I saw that scan.' 4 The most common symptoms of a brain tumour More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives. The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity. Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis. There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment. Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return. Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS. They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision. The nine most common symptoms are: Headaches Seizures Feeling sick Being sick Memory problems Change in personality Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body Vision problems Speech problems If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP. Source: NHS
