Davina McCall's wild health journey after taking cocaine aged 14 and becoming a drug addict

Davina McCall broke down successful tears successful her archetypal podcast quality aft undergoing an cognition to region a benign encephalon tumour successful an affectional interrogation with Steven Bartlett

Davina McCall has made an affectional instrumentality to the satellite of podcasting after having country to region a benign encephalon tumour.

Back successful November, the 57-year-old revealed that she’d been diagnosed with a uncommon benignant of benign tumour called a colloid cyst and would beryllium having an cognition to person it removed. As she made her diagnosis public, the TV property revealed however the tumour had been discovered by accidental aft she underwent a wellness scan.

But this isn’t the archetypal clip that Davina has opened up astir her health. Over the years, she hasn’t been acrophobic of discussing wellness matters and has utilized her level to rise consciousness of important topics including menopause and women’s health. Let’s instrumentality a person look…

Brain tumour discovery

Last twelvemonth Davina revealed that doctors had discovered a benign encephalon tumour by accidental aft she underwent a wellness scan. “A fewer months ago, I did a menopause speech for a institution and they offered maine a wellness scan successful return, which I thought I was going to ace,” she said successful a video shared connected societal media.

“But it turned retired I had a benign encephalon tumour called a colloid cyst, which is precise uncommon - 3 successful a million.”

Following the discovery, Davina had an cognition to region the tumour and returned location wherever she was looked aft by her doting spouse Michael and her stepmum Gaby. Three months aft the op, Davina has teased a podcast interrogation with Steven Bartlett successful which she addresses her wellness journey.

“I felt similar this happening had taken power of me,” she says successful a snippet of the interview. “They said, ‘You’ve got a benign cyst successful your brain…’.”

Meanwhile, different clip from the highly-anticipated merchandise shows her breaking down successful tears. “I was like, 'I'm inactive here'. I began again,” she adds.

Getting clean

The My Mum, Your Dad presenter is known for her emotion of each things wellness and fitness. However, Davina has recalled however her teens and aboriginal twenties progressive cause use.

During different interrogation with Steven connected his The Diary of a CEO podcast successful 2023, Davina revealed however she archetypal did cocaine astatine the property of 14 with her sister. One twelvemonth later, astatine the property of 15, she did cocaine again, this clip with her mother, Florence.

Reflecting connected her cause use, she told the Mirror: “I was a mess. You sanction it, I took it. Cocaine, ecstasy and heroin.” For Davina, a turning constituent came erstwhile she was 24 and her person Sarah had a hard speech with her.

“My champion person said she was going to instrumentality maine to Santana… she got maine into her car. And I got successful the car and she unopen the doors and she said, 'I'm really not going to instrumentality you to Santana. I request to archer you immoderate things'. She said, 'I cognize that you've been lying to me',” she explained to Steven.

“I had conscionable travel disconnected the backmost of a 24 hr cocaine bender which is what made maine realise heroin wasn't my problem, each drugs were my problem.”

She added: “My person said, ‘We each cognize you've been lying to us, each your friends, and you are the taxable of speech astatine each meal enactment I spell to.’ The shame starts piling on. I started to consciousness a small bit, ‘well f*** you’ to her. This is virtually my lone person I've got left'.”

During an quality connected This Morning successful 2016, Davina admitted that she believed cipher suspected a happening astir her cause usage earlier Sarah issued the ultimatum. “I ever wore make-up, I had a job, I didn't steal. I wasn't similar your mean thoroughfare junkie,” she said.

“Everyone is different, but for me, it was erstwhile my person said, 'Everyone is talking astir you and what a messiness you are,' that changed things. I thought I was afloat functioning. But I wasn't. My screen was blown.”

At the property of 25, Davina turned things astir with the assistance of her fellow Eric Clapton. The Layla vocalist supported Davina arsenic she attended meetings astatine Narcotics Anonymous.

Menopause awareness

Davina has been praised by fans for opening up astir her acquisition of the menopause and for her assistance to region the stigma that surrounds it. In 2022, the mum-of-three fronted the documentary Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause which explored the issues women look erstwhile it comes to the menopause arsenic good arsenic perimenopause.

Prior to that, her archetypal documentary connected the topic, Sex, Myths and the Menopause was viewed by much than 2 cardinal people and resulted successful 22,000 GPs and nurses volunteering to implicit a six-hour menopause course.

Speaking astir her ain experience, Davina told the Mirror successful 2022: “The infinitesimal I deliberation my perimenopausal symptoms started I tin really pinpoint. I was 44 and I retrieve it due to the fact that it was truthful weird. The champion mode I tin picture it is that I conscionable mislaid thing of myself. I changed.

“I couldn’t rather enactment my digit connected however I’d changed, but I’d decidedly changed. I didn’t consciousness myself. I retrieve feeling much self-conscious and awkward than I usually would. And I’d aftermath up successful the mediate of the nighttime and the sheets would beryllium soaking. I felt my full assemblage had turned into a prune.”

Fitness fan

After becoming a mum, Davina acceptable retired to look and consciousness her best. In 2004, she released her archetypal workout DVD and released different the pursuing year. In 2019 she besides created her ain online fittingness and manner programme ‘Own Your Goals’.

“On a weekday, I commencement the time successful immoderate benignant of Lycra, if I’m not working,” she told the Mirror. “I conscionable enactment connected a workout outfit due to the fact that it means that I’m ever ready. If I commencement my time successful civvies I americium not going to enactment out, it’s ne'er going to happen.

“If I’m successful my workout cogwheel and it gets to 3pm, I think, travel on, backmost on! My Lycra is similar my enactment apparel truthful I walk wealth connected Lycra similar different radical would walk wealth connected a suit for work.”

*Frank offers confidential proposal astir drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, connection 82111 oregon telephone 0300 123 6600) oregon the NHS has accusation astir getting help.