Recovering from her surgery to remove a benign brain tumour late last year, Davina McCall probably thought that would be the extent of her health woes for a while.
The TV personality, 58, announced in November 2024 that she had been diagnosed with a colloid cyst, a rare type of brain tumour.
She bravely endured a gruelling six-hour operation to remove the 14mm cyst.
Almost exactly a year later however, on November 8, she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer six weeks before and had undergone successful surgery after discovering a lump in her breast while on the set of The Masked Singer.
She took to her Instagram with the news on Saturday and explained how the disease had been caught ‘very very early’ but would still require radiotherapy.
In the candid clip Davina said she was opening up in a bid to help others, just like she did when doctors operated on her rare benign brain tumour in November 2024.
Recovering from her surgery to remove a benign brain tumour late last year, Davina McCall probably thought that would be the extent of her health woes for a while
Almost exactly a year later however, on November 8, she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been supported through both by her fiancé Michael Douglas
She recalled first discovering the lump while on the set of the ITV singing show, before a sign in the toilets at the Lorraine studios encouraged her to get checked.
Davina said: ‘I just wanted to tell you I have had breast cancer, I found a lump a few weeks ago and it came and went.’
‘But then when I was filming The Masked Singer, the show Lorraine put signs on the back of their toilet doors saying ‘check your breasts’ and every time I went for a wee I did that, and it was still there.’
‘So I underwent a biopsy and it was indeed breast cancer and I had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago.’
Davina went on to discuss the results of her surgery and how doctors had now given her the all clear.
The former Big Brother host went on: ‘It was very very small so I got it very very early, which is incredibly lucky, but I am so relieved that I have had it removed and that it hasn’t spread.’
Davina said that despite the good news she would still require five days of radiotherapy in January as an ‘insurance policy’ to remain cancer free.
She thanked the doctors and nurses as well as her family and fiancé Michael Douglas before admitting: ‘I was very angry when I found out, but I let go of that and I feel in a much more positive place now.’
She took to her Instagram with the news on Saturday and explained how the disease had been caught ‘very very early’ but would still require radiotherapy
In the candid clip Davina said she was opening up in a bid to help others, just like she did when doctors operated on her rare benign brain tumour in November 2024
Davina captioned the clip: ‘The message here, is know your boobs. Notice any changes. Don’t procrastinate. Get your free checkups. And never ignore a niggle. Sending out huge love.’
Following the announcement fans and famous friends rushed to the comments to bid the star their best wishes.
Julia Bradbury, who has also suffered from breast cancer, wrote: ‘Sending the biggest hugs’ and Amanda Holden said: ‘Sending you so much love.’
Penny Lancaster said: ‘You’re amazing xxxx’ and Gaby Logan added: ‘Sending you loads of love.’
In September the star fought back tears as she talked about her brain tumour journey on Loose Women – and told the panellists: ‘I want to stop crying.’
Joining panellists Jane Moore, 63, and Nadia Sawalha, 60, in the ITV studio the then newly-engaged Davina discussed her latest book on conception and birth – aptly titled Birthing.
But talk soon turned to Davina’s health, and she became tearful as she opened up about the experience, which she said has left her unable to stop crying.
Asked by Jane if she still has concerns for her health, Davina responded: ‘I don’t feel worried about that, but I do have this thing where I can’t stop crying.’
Visibly emotional, the mother-of-three fought back tears, and her voice became shaky as she continued: ‘So, I cry a lot when I talk about it.
‘I think it’s about trauma. It was traumatic – the experience – but I feel amazing now. I really do. I am so happy. I can’t believe I’m here with you.
‘Everything is a joy, getting up in the morning, having a coffee, I’m still in the joys of it. I want to put it behind me, I feel great. I want to stop crying.’
The TV presenter was friends for years with celebrity hairdresser Michael, 47, but they only began dating after she finalised her divorce with ex-husband Matthew Robertson in April 2018
Mere hours after Davina’s pre-recorded interview, the news broke that she was engaged to her hairstylist boyfriend Michael – just weeks after she revealed she would never marry again.
Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford said: ‘Congratulations to Davina McCall following the news at the weekend that she has got engaged to her partner Michael Douglas.’
The TV presenter was friends for years with celebrity hairdresser Michael, 47, but they only began dating after she finalised her divorce with ex-husband Matthew Robertson in April 2018.
They went public with their relationship in 2018 and by January 2023, Michael had moved in with her – and now, the smitten couple are set to tie the knot.
To ensure her loved ones were the first to know, Davina managed to keep the engagement private and didn’t even tell ITV bosses.
He has no doubt been a pillar of strength for her amid her recent health woes.
Last November she revealed she had a ‘very rare’ colloid cyst that affects only three in a million people.
She explained at the time that she received the diagnosis by chance after booking in for a ‘health scan’.
Davina said in a video: ‘I was offered a health scan which I thought I was going to ace but it turned out I had benign brain tumour which is very rare, three in a million.
‘I slightly put my head in the sand for a while, I saw a few neurosurgeons, had quite a lot of opinions and realised I needed to take it out.
‘It’s quite big, it’s 14mm wide and it needs to come out because if it grows it would be bad. I’m having it removed.’
She added: ‘Say a prayer for me. I’m in good spirits.’
Davina explained that while she was at no immediate risk, doctors were concerned that the tumour could grow larger and cause complications.
She revealed she had been feeling ‘up and down’ and explained she would be in hospital for at least nine days before coming home.
A colloid cyst is a slow-growing tumour typically found near the center of the brain. The benign growth contains gelatinous material.
Most patients present with headaches, although other symptoms including vertigo, memory problems and double vision can occur.
If large enough, a colloid cyst obstructs the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain which leads to a high risk of sudden death.
Davina’s partner Michael Douglas uploaded the video for her, captioning the post: ‘Hey everyone. Michael here. She will be ‘off grid’ for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation.
‘She is in great shape and in very good hands. I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested.
‘I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s able to so feel free to send love ❤️ . The support of people is amazingly powerful. Have a great day everyone. Michael xxx’.
In February this year Davina revealed she named her brain tumour, and even threw it a party.
She shared on her podcast Begin Again: ‘I called my brain tumour Jeffrey.
‘I needed to name it something. And I didn’t have any personal friends that were called Jeffrey, so it seemed like a good name to call him. And we had a Jeffrey happy birthday party with friends.’
She said Michael ‘played the piano and sang some songs and sort of did speeches. And we all kind of talked about things and I talked about the fact that I was a bit scared, but ‘I know I’m going to do it’.
‘And if it was going to happen to anybody, it was good it happened to me because I am robust mentally and I can handle it.’
The mother-of-three was so fearful of dying that she ensured her affairs were in order.
‘I wrote letters of wishes to all the children, and put those in my will.’
‘What I wanted to do was to try and find a way that they would all find a way through if I didn’t make it. They make me very proud’, she said.
The supportive partner kept her Instagram followers up to date when she had her brain surgery last year
The Long Lost Family host believed that ‘in my head, I was literally the healthiest person in the world… And I had this head-to-toe scan.
‘And they came back and they went, ‘Okay, we’ve got your results. Um… we’d like to talk to you.’
Despite the severity of her condition, she was determined to avoid pity.
‘I just did not want the drama, right? I felt like the drama would make it a hundred times worse for me. I don’t want limp necks. ‘Oh my God, oh my…’ I don’t want pity. Because a lot of people have said to me since, ‘When you told me, I thought you could die.’
‘And I thought, ‘I don’t want people looking at me like I could die. I’m dealing with that myself.’ I just want positivity.’
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
