Davina McCall reveals tumour removal was 'hardest thing she's ever been through'

22 March 2025, 17:00

TV presenter Davina McCall said the removal of a benign brain tumour was "the hardest thing I've ever been through".

The 57-year-old underwent surgery last year to remove a benign tumour, known as a colloid cyst, which was found after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.

"I had a pretty mad year this year. Doctors found a benign brain tumour, by chance, and after a lot of deliberating, I had it removed.

"And it's been, quite possibly, the hardest thing I've ever been through and this whole experience, weirdly, kind of weighing up all the risks and all the positive things about having this tumour removed made me think deeply about what life is all about, and what really, really matters when things get tough," she told the BBC.

McCall then began to cry as she spoke of the support she had received from her family and partner Michael Douglas.

She is known for hosting Big Brother between 2000 and 2010 during its Channel 4 run, has long advocated on women's health issues, and has presented documentaries on contraception and menopause.

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Discussing the surgery, she told The Times: "I set up my whole life before I went into the operating theatre knowing that, if I didn't make it, the kids would be OK.

"I needed to go under the anaesthetic knowing I had my ducks in a row.

"It was my way of letting go. And I am so grateful for that process, because I realised through all of it that, if I were not around, my children would be on the right path.

"If this hadn't happened to me, I'd have stayed in 'mum mode'. I love my kids so much, but I looked at them and thought: 'Would they be OK without me?' And the answer was yes, and that made me so proud.

"I've always been a grateful person but this brain operation has supersized my gratitude."

McCall chose her surgeon, Kevin O'Neill, after being told by a US-based surgeon that he was "brilliant", according to The Times.

"We're going to be friends for the rest of our lives. We are going to go out to dinner with our partners! We are GOING TO DO IT!" she said of Mr O'Neill.

Discussing their conversation pre-surgery, she said: "The temptation, of course, was to say to him: 'I've got three children. Please, please keep me alive.'

"But that is quite a stress for the surgeon.

"It's an immense pressure and what he needs to know is that I have faith in him.

"I know that he is the best at his job. I know that he wants to do the best for me.

"So I said to him: 'You do whatever you need to do. I put all my faith in you.' He doesn't need me screaming at him to keep me alive.

"He needs to be in the calmest and most confident place. I wanted to empower Kevin to do the best job he could."

After the operation, celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas, McCall's boyfriend, kept her followers updated on her condition while she spent time in intensive care.

McCall has long advocated on women's health issues, and presented documentaries on contraception and the menopause.

According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50, and symptoms include headaches, vision problems and drowsiness, and some can be "difficult to remove without damaging surrounding tissue".