Davina McCall expresses relief at returning home following brain surgery

Television presenter Davina McCall has announced her discharge from the hospital, stating her return home feels “really nice” after undergoing an operation to excise a benign brain tumour. On Monday, via an emotional Instagram post, she communicated that she was “on the other side” and expressed a desire to extend an “enormous heartfelt thank you” for the numerous supportive messages she had gotten. “It’s meant the world,” she stated. “My short-term memory is a bit remiss but that’s something I can work on. I’m writing down everything I’m doing to keep myself feeling safe.” She added, “I’m on the mend, I’m resting, I’m sleeping loads, I feel really good. And very lucky.” This marks the initial direct communication from the celebrity to her followers since she disclosed her diagnosis earlier in the current month, despite her partner Michael consistently updating her social media profiles and announcing her release from intensive care last week. Furthermore, he conveyed gratitude to well-wishers and issued a statement providing an update to followers when McCall concluded her surgery the week prior. In her Instagram story on Monday, McCall mentioned being “brilliantly looked after” by Michael and her step-mum Gabby, and expressed a desire to give a “big up to step-mums,” stating that Gabby had “been an amazing rock my whole life” and characterizing her as “a big dose of vitamin G.” She continued, “When something happens like this, I feel so grateful. I’ve always been grateful, I’ve been really lucky in my life but I feel unbelievably grateful right now.” The 57-year-old had previously uploaded a video to Instagram earlier this month, announcing her diagnosis with a benign tumour identified as a colloid cyst. A benign tumour is non-cancerous, however, these cysts typically exhibit slow growth, as per information from the Brainstrust charity. Prior to her operation, McCall had detailed the fortuitous discovery of the tumour. In a video, she recounted, “A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was going to ace.” She continued, “But it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare – three in a million.” The Brains Trust indicates that colloid cysts characteristically develop within a fluid-filled cavity located in the brain’s core and are themselves filled with fluid. These cysts constitute under 2% of all primary brain tumours, and their growth rate and associated symptoms can differ among individuals, as reported by the charity. McCall had clarified that a surgeon would conduct a craniotomy, a procedure involving the removal of a section of the skull to extract the tumour. Mr Douglas had previously characterized the operation as “textbook.” McCall’s extensive career in television presenting encompasses programs such as Channel 4’s Big Brother, ITV’s Long Lost Family, and My Mum, Your Dad, in addition to Comic and Sport Relief for the BBC. Earlier in the current year, she was honored with a special recognition award at the National TV Awards, acknowledging her contributions to the television industry throughout her career. She additionally advocates for menopause awareness, having been motivated by her own hormonal changes to spotlight women’s experiences through her professional endeavors. In the preceding year, she secured the highest accolade at the British Book Awards for her 2022 publication, Menopausing, which she co-authored with Dr Naomi Potter. The phenomenon termed the “Davina effect” led to a substantial surge in the demand for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) following her 2021 Channel 4 documentary, Sex, Myths and Menopause. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.