Davina McCall shares heartbreaking health battle after fearing she was going to die

Davina McCall has opened up about a health battle that was sparked from her brain tumour ordeal in November 2024. Back then, the 57-year-old underwent surgery to have a 14mm colloid cyst removed - a rare benign brain tumour that was located near the central part of her brain.

This cyst is said to have interfered with the passage through which short-term memories are processed, leading to Davina's memory difficulties after surgery.

In a previous update on her podcast Begin Again, she described the experience as "horrible" and likened it to Alzheimer's disease.

To manage things, she relied on writing things down to help retain information and maintain a sense of safety.

Looking back on her health battle in a new interview, Davina shared how her short-term memory loss had not only affected her, but also her partner Michael Douglas.

She told Good Housekeeping UK: "Michael's been mega helpful with me on all of this. It's exhausting looking after someone so vulnerable and needy.

"At one point I thought his behaviour was a bit odd, but I couldn't remember why it felt odd!".

Reflecting on a conversation they had, she added: "I said to him, 'Michael, I've noticed you don't want to be around me much. If you feel differently about me, it's fine, I understand'.

"He said, 'It's because you're annoying at the moment,' and I've never been so relieved to be told that I'm annoying.

"I knew I was, because I'd repeat the same questions over and over again. We both laughed hard at that."

Davina also admitted that having believed she was going to die, she finalised her will and wrote letters to the three children she shares with her ex-husband.

Recalling a heartfelt chat they had before her surgery, she recalled telling them "you'll all turn out great" should the worse happen.

Thankfully Davina pulled through, and she has since been sharing positive updates with her fans.

In April 2025, she revealed that MRI scans had confirmed the complete removal of her cyst, and she was told there are no signs of recurrence.

Davina also said she's feeling "stronger and stronger" by the day, and described the recovery period as the "greatest thing" to have happened to her.

The presenter not only experienced memory loss during her health battle, but also a major change to her body.

Speaking on her podcast, she said she also "lost so much muscle and fat" due to resting for up to three months post-surgery.

In a conversation with a brain expert at the time, she went on to say she was "eating enormous quantities" to try and build her strength back up, adding: "It's very hard when you're older, so thank god I had a little bit of buffer, not loads but enough, and I'm rebuilding again."

The full interview can be read now in the October issue of Good Housekeeping UK.