Television presenter Davina McCall has revealed that surviving brain tumour surgery has transformed her outlook on life, declaring she is “not afraid of dying anymore”.
The 57-year-old described the experience as “the best gift” during an appearance at the Happy Place Festival at the weekend, explaining how facing mortality has given her a new perspective.
“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,'” she said.
McCall emphasised the rarity of reaching such a place mentally, noting: “I think having no regrets and feeling like you are living fully in the life you want to be in, it’s quite rare.”
The presenter discovered the tumour during a routine health check in 2023. She consulted four different neurosurgeons worldwide before deciding to undergo surgery in November to remove the colloid cyst.
The condition posed a serious threat, as McCall explained: “I went under the knife last year to remove the colloid cyst that could have put me in a coma if I’d left it untouched.”
The diagnosis forced her to confront the possibility that she might not survive the operation.
“I was really worried about my kids,” she admitted, describing how she spent six months preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Her fears were significant enough that she “went forensic” on her children’s lives, examining where Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18, were in their personal development.
McCall revealed she updated her will before the operation, including heartfelt letters to her children.
“There’s that saying, ‘A life lived in fear is a life half-lived’,” she reflected in February.
The preparation process involved deep introspection about her past, including her struggles with drug addiction. “Part of my, ‘am I okay to let go of my life?’ has been to examine all of my past,” she explained.
She also reconnected with her step-mother during this period and discussed the situation extensively with her partner Michael Douglas.
After months of “cross-examining” her children about their lives, her eldest daughter Holly caught on, telling her: “You are not dying.”
Ultimately, McCall reached a place of acceptance: “I realised that they would be great, they’d miss me, I want to be with them, but they would be okay.”
The operation proved successful, with McCall describing her recovery as “remarkable”.
She told festival attendees: “If I make it through this brain surgery. It’s going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She credits the experience with profound personal growth: “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.”
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McCall continues her television career, working on programmes including The Masked Singer and fronting BBC’s new dating series Stranded on Honeymoon Island. Her podcast Begin Again continues to grow, alongside her menopause advocacy work.
She now champions embracing age without fear, stating: “Getting older and not caring any more is a gift.”
