EXCLUSIVE: Davina McCall is back on our screens with a new BBC dating show, Honeymoon Island, and the TV presenter has opened up about her own love life and what she looks for in a partner
Davina McCall is swapping sequins for survival with her brand-new BBC dating series Stranded on Honeymoon Island – and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.
The premise? Total strangers marry at first sight, then head straight to a remote island with nothing but the clothes they wed in, an outdoor loo, and three weeks to test their connection.
“I like to think I’m not too high-maintenance,” Davina admits, before confessing the one thing that would break her: “The loo. I’d have a whopper problem with the poo! I don’t want to hear farting and pooing – I still want to be fancied!”
The 56-year-old presenter knows all about taking risks. Just last year, she underwent brain surgery after a tumour scare – and now she says life feels brighter than ever. Speaking ahead of the launch, Davina said “I’m f***ing great!” she beams.
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“I got the all-clear in May and it’s not coming back. It’s made me want to absolutely live life to the max and grow old disgracefully. You don’t know what’s around the corner, so do everything you’ve ever wanted.”
That fearless mindset made Stranded impossible to resist. “These couples are taking a massive leap of faith – literally off a boat,” the mum of three explains. “It’s such an extreme way to fast-track a relationship. You see who someone really is when things get tough – how they handle problems, whether they’re resourceful. That’s attractive! Confidence is key in this experiment.”
So what makes this show different from the rest? For Davina, it’s the heart: “There’s deep learning – about yourself, about relationships. Even if they don’t find The One, they come away knowing what they want and need.”
The drama doesn’t stop at the beach hut either. “There’s Couples Cove,” Davina teases. “All the pairs start socialising… and then some eyes start wandering. It’s carnage!”
And what can viewers expect? “Addiction!” she grins. “You’ll watch one episode and you’re in. It’s emotional, raw and full of twists. These people are honest, brave and totally committed.”
Would Davina survive the island herself? “I’d miss a bath, music and probably a good book. But no tech? Mega!” she laughs. As for her advice for lovebirds? Davina keeps it simple: “Friendship. Fancy each other. Trust and respect – that’s the holy trinity.”
And while Davina plays a more hands-off role than in other shows – popping up at the start and then again for the finale – she admits she couldn’t resist mothering the couples a little: “They’d been on such a journey, they needed Mummy!”
This also comes after Davina recently made an admission that she is unlikely to marry again as she wouldn’t change a thing about her relationship with Michael Douglas.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror recently, when it was pointed out it might be time for Davina to go on her third honeymoon – and her first in 25 years, she laughs and shakes her head.
“We go on honeymoons all the time, but without getting married,” she says of her and celebrity hairdresser and presenter Michael. Yeah, we’re in the honeymoon period even after all these years, exactly. I am really, really…I couldn’t be more happy. And sometimes there’s an idea of, why change anything?”
“This reminds me a lot of when I was 30,” Davina adds. “Every time you go out with anybody, everybody’s like, ‘Are you going to get married? Are you going to get married?’.
“It’s not important anymore. I am just really happy, and I am just so happy to be so happy. And after the operation, everything is rose-tinted. I am so appreciative to be here. You know what I mean? It’s unbelievable.”
Davina was married twice and is mum to Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and 18-year-old Chester. Her last marriage to Matthew ended after 17 years and she went public with her new relationship with Michael in 2019. The one constant has been her continuing to be on TV screens in a wide variety of shows.
Stranded on Honeymoon Island kicks off Wednesday, September 3 on BBC One and iPlayer, airing Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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