The Masked Singer star Davina McCall revealed the truth behind her tears after winning the Special Recognition Award at last year’s National Television Awards
Davina McCall admitted she ‘didn’t think she’d be here’ as she opened up about her difficult year. The beloved presenter, 57, underwent surgery to have a benign brain tumour removed last year – an ordeal that’s got her thinking about what comes next in life.
In April, the former Big Brother presenter confirmed her “final MRI” had shown a colloid cyst, which she had removed in November 2024, is “not coming back”, after it was found when she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.
Weeks before her surgery, Davina was in tears as she accepted the Special Recognition Award at the 2024 National Television Awards.
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She told the audience at the time: “This means so much I can’t even begin to tell you…”
And now, Davina is back at the event, healthier than ever and took to the winners’ room to reveal the backstory behind her tears the year before.
Reflecting on her journey, she said: “Last year, I knew I had a brain tumour and I knew I was being operated on six weeks later and I picked up the award, which meant so much to me.”
The star was speaking through tears as she continued: “Everybody else knew why it meant so much to me. It just meant the world to me because I wasn’t sure where I was going to be six weeks later. You know, what my life would look like.”
Last month, The Masked Singer star revealed how her brain tumour affected her life and personal relationships.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping UK, Davina opened up on her earlier fears: “I’ve been terrified of dying my whole life – my mum died quite young, my dad died quite young, and my sister died very young.
“I thought: ‘I have to come to terms with the fact that I might not make it, so what do I have to do to make that OK?’ I had to let go of the outcome and be able to go to sleep without the abject horror of the idea of dying.
“I said to Michael (Douglas, her partner): ‘If I go, I really need you to keep plugged in to the kids (Holly, Tilly and Chester, who she shares with her ex-husband Matthew Robertson) and stay in their lives.’
“We were both scared, but we were honest and told each other that. It made the whole thing less daunting, knowing that everything was out on the table.”
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