TV presenter Davina McCall has described her recent brain surgery as “the hardest thing” she has ever been through.
The celebrity, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, spoke emotionally about her experience during last night’s (Friday) Red Nose Day charity telethon on the BBC.
She told millions of TV viewers: “I had a pretty mad year. Doctors found a benign brain tumour, by chance, and after a lot of deliberating, I had it removed.
“And it’s been, quite possibly, the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.
“This whole experience, weirdly, kind of weighing up all the risks and all the positive things about having this tumour removed. made me think deeply about what life is all about.
“And what really, matters when things get tough.”
She also told viewers of the support she had received from her family and partner Michael Douglas.
McCall, 57, had the
six-hour surgery last November to remove a rare benign tumour, known as a colloid cyst, which had been found during a health check.
The condition only affects three out of a million people
Speaking before the operation, the mum-of-three said: “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. Say a prayer for me. I’m in good spirits.”
A colloid cyst is a slow-growing tumour typically found near the centre of the brain. Symptoms can include headache, vertigo, memory problems and double vision.
McCall first became a household name presenting the reality TV show Big Brother when it was on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She went on to present Comic Relief plus Sport Relief, Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer, The Million Pound Drop and Long Lost Family.
Red Nose Day yesterday raised £34,022,590 for Comic Relief.
