TV presenter Davina McCall broke down in tears on Monday as she joined Jamie Theakston for his first radio show in five months. The Heart FM Breakfast Show host, 54, returned to the airwaves after being given the all-clear from laryngeal cancer, having taken a break in September following his diagnosis.
McCall, who was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumour called a colloid cyst last year and underwent surgery in November, was welcomed by co-host Amanda Holden. 'Jamie Theakston is in the studio, and we’ve brought our lovely friend Davina McCall who’s been on her very own journey,' Holden said. 'Oh my goodness, I’m just going to say, Davina is the queen of hugs. She hugged Jamie, I timed it, it was forty-four seconds.'
'I’m worried about talking in case I set myself off again,' McCall admitted before breaking down. 'Oh, what are we like the two of us?' Theakston mused. Fighting back tears, McCall recalled a hug that had caused Theakston pain, which led to his diagnosis. 'You getting better means so much to me,' she said emotionally.
'Well, listen, without you doing that, I would not have known that there was something wrong with my throat,' Theakston reassured her. 'So in actual fact, it wasn’t that you did any damage, it was the opposite.' McCall, who has known Theakston for decades, said she felt 'involved' in his recovery and was thrilled to see him back.
The pair discussed their parallel health journeys, with McCall describing it as 'a rollercoaster' but 'nice being sort of simultaneously trying to get through something with you.' She also revealed how her own diagnosis came about after being persuaded to have a health check at OneWelbeck, despite initially dragging her feet. 'I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I’m like so clean. So, I just thought I don’t need a health check,' she said.
