Davina McCall has revealed she created an ‘end of life checklist’ before she had major brain surgery last year for a benign tumour.
The TV presenter, 57, told fans in November how doctors had discovered a ‘very rare’ colloid cyst that affects only three in a million people.
She later went under the knife as doctors operated on the former Big Brother host to remove the cyst, which medics were concerned could cause problems if it grew any further.
Davina has now revealed the steps she took before the surgery – as her mindset drastically shifted.
Speaking to Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival, she said how her mind ‘went into forensic mode’ thinking about her three children and where they were in their own lives.
She said: ‘I had to make sure that my kids were going to be OK if I did not make it. That is all I really cared about. I knew my partner, Michael, would be OK as he is a whole person, but I was really worried about my kids.’
Davina McCall has revealed she created an ‘end of life checklist’ before she had major brain surgery last year for a benign tumour (pictured this week)
The TV presenter, 57, told fans in November how doctors had discovered a ‘very rare’ colloid cyst that affects only three in a million people (pictured in November 2024 following surgery)
Davina went under the knife as doctors operated on the former Big Brother host to remove the cyst, which medics were concerned could cause problems if it grew any further
Davina admitted she knew her kids ‘would be fine’ and if the worst happened, ‘they would miss me’.
She candidly shared: ‘I felt 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, and it was the best gift.’
Davina has dated her hairdresser Michael Douglas since 2019 following her to divorce to Matthew Robertson after 17 years together.
She shares 23-year-old Holly, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18, with her ex-husband.
In the end, Davina shared her checklist came down to the fact that she knew her loved ones could survive without her, which she found peace with.
She concluded: ‘I am not afraid of dying anymore. It was the biggest journey of my life. It was an amazing time.
‘I have been on a massive life journey, and I have been through terrible struggles. That is where the learning comes from. If something really hard happens now, I know it is a good thing.’
Davina has boasted about how her healthy eating and regular exercise helps her to keep strong, both physically and mentally.
Davina has admitted she knew her kids ‘would be fine’ and if the worst happened, ‘they would miss me’ as she mentally prepared for the operation
Davina has dated her hairdresser Michael Douglas (pictured) since 2019 following her to divorce to Matthew Robertson after 17 years together
She shares 23-year-old Holly, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18, with her ex-husband Matthew Robertson, who she divorced in 2017
During an appearance on Comic Relief earlier this year, Davina tearfully addressed her brain surgery to viewers.
She emotionally said: ‘This whole experience, kind of weighing up all the risks and all the positive things about having this tumour removed made me really think deeply about what life is really about and what matters when life gets tough.
‘I needed the brilliance and the skills of lots of experts to make me okay. And oh my goodness, I’ve needed the love and support of friends and my family, and in particular, my Michael to get me through.’
Meanwhile, earlier this month the presenter opened up about her difficult upbringing and her addictions, which led to her family intervening.
She began taking cocaine in her young teens, as well as drinking and smoking. By the time she was in her early 20s she was taking heroin.
Her friends and family – led by her grandmother – held an intervention and Davina overhauled her life and began attending Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
Discussing that period of her life with Closer magazine, Davina said: ‘I hated myself when I got clean. I really hated myself. I did things which I said I would never do. I’d let myself and other people down.
