Davina McCall has revealed the real reason she broke down in tears when she collected the National Television Awards’ Special Recognition prize last year.
The TV presenter, 56, was honoured with the prestigious gong for her near three-decade career on screen, with stars including Dermot O’Leary, Alison Hammond and Claudia Winkleman paying tribute to her in a moving VT. As she stepped on stage at London’s O2 Arena to accept the award from Hannah Waddingham, Davina was visibly emotional.
She has now explained why. Speaking to The Mirror, Davina admitted that at the time she knew she had a brain tumour and was due to undergo surgery just six weeks later. “Last year, I knew I had a brain tumour and I knew I was being operated on six weeks later, and I picked up the award which meant so much to me. Everybody else knew why it meant so much to me, it just meant the world to me because I wasn’t sure where I was going to be six weeks later,” she said.
The star underwent surgery in November 2024 to remove the cyst after it was discovered during a routine health check connected to her menopause advocacy work. She confessed she had been terrified of dying, especially after losing her mother, father and sister at young ages. “I thought: I have to come to terms with the fact that I might not make it… I had to let go of the outcome and be able to go to sleep without the abject horror of the idea of dying,” she told Good Housekeeping UK.
Thankfully, in April this year, Davina confirmed her “final MRI” had shown the colloid cyst was not returning. During her NTAs speech, she also paid a heartfelt tribute to her partner Michael Douglas, thanking him for making her “a better person” and declaring how happy he makes her.
Davina remains one of TV’s most loved faces, fronting hit shows including The Masked Singer and My Mum, Your Dad, as well as her earlier iconic run on Big Brother and Long Lost Family.
She now joins a prestigious list of stars to have received the Special Recognition Award, including Sarah Lancashire, Sir Lenny Henry, David Dimbleby and the late Paul O’Grady.
