Davina McCall has revealed she struggled with Alzheimer's symptoms after her brain surgery last year. She also described 2025 as the 'hardest year' for both her and her partner Michael Douglas.
Memory loss after operation
'After I'd had my brain tumour taken out, I had advanced Alzheimer's, so I couldn't remember anything,' she told Paloma Faith on her Mad, Sad Bad podcast.
'When I came out of the operation, I didn't know I'd had an operation,' recalled the presenter and former Big Brother host. 'The staff came in every day, and they'd go, "What's my name?" and I'd go, "I don't know".'
Music as 'mind physio'
'Michael would come and visit for two hours, and he'd go to the loo and come back, and I'd go, "Oh my God, you're here," and I didn't know he'd been there,' she continued, explaining she also couldn't watch films or read books due to her memory issues.
However, music was a huge aid, with Davina saying it acted like her 'mind physio' and was able to help her overcome the challenging side effects.
'Music was what healed me. And last October was the first time I woke up, and I went, "Oh my god, I remember what I did yesterday."'
