Davina McCall has revealed she felt guilty after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, just months after undergoing brain surgery. The former Big Brother presenter, 58, was diagnosed in October 2025, only two months after receiving the all-clear from a mammogram. She underwent a lumpectomy shortly after and announced in April 2026 that she had been given the all-clear.
Health Battles and Brain Surgery
The TV host has faced several health challenges in recent years. In November 2024, she underwent a craniotomy after doctors discovered a "very rare" colloid cyst in her brain. Davina remained in intensive care for three days after the five-hour surgery, which was successful.
The mum-of-three has now disclosed that she experienced symptoms of advanced Alzheimer's disease following the brain surgery. She made the admission on the Mad, Sad and Bad podcast with presenter Paloma Faith, where she also discussed her cancer diagnosis.
Guilt and Support from Husband
Davina explained that she went for regular mammograms every year and had been checked for different types of cancer genes because her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 28. Despite believing she would make it through, her first thought was how to tell her husband, hairdresser Michael Douglas, about her diagnosis.
She admitted feeling "guilty" about the diagnosis, as she and Michael were still dealing with her brain tumour surgery and recovery. "We'd been on this separate journey with the brain tumor. I was over here trying to remember anything, and he was over here worrying about me," Davina recalled, before praising her partner for how he handled the situation.
"But I was back and I had breast cancer. It was something we could fight together. He was so brilliant with me. He knew exactly what to say and do." Despite the gravity of the situation, Davina credited Michael, whom she married in December 2025, with bringing moments of lightheartedness to an otherwise difficult time.
Alzheimer's Symptoms and Recovery
The Long Lost Family host described 2025 as the "hardest year" for both herself and Michael. "After I'd had my brain tumour taken out, I had advanced Alzheimer's, so I couldn't remember anything," Davina explained. "When I came out of the operation, I didn't know I'd had an operation. The staff came in every day, and they'd go, 'What's my name?' and I'd go, 'I don't know'."
Michael would come to visit for two hours, and he'd go to the loo and come back, and she'd forget he had been there. She couldn't watch a movie for six months because she couldn't remember what had happened 15 minutes before, and she couldn't remember the previous page of a book. She said having singing lessons acted as "mind physio" and revealed last October was the first time she woke up and remembered what she'd done the night before.
