Nine months after a successful surgery, she admits she "doesn't feel frightened of anything" anymore
British TV host Davina McCall is sharing the honest conversations she had with her partner -- and herself -- after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping, McCall -- who is widely known in the U.K. for hosting numerous television shows in her decades-long career, including the British version of Big Brother -- opened up about her health journey.
The 57-year-old revealed that she was diagnosed with a "very rare" brain tumor last year and underwent surgery to remove it in November 2024.
Reflecting on that moment, McCall told the outlet that she had to have real conversations about death after learning about her health.
"I've been terrified of dying my whole life," she said. "My mum died quite young [aged 62 in 2008], my dad died quite young [aged 77 in 2022] and my sister died very young [aged 50 in 2012]."
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"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 okay?'"
Days before her surgery, McCall admitted that she had to consider the worst -- something she never had to think about before. She had "brilliant conversations about death" with her partner, Michael Douglas.
"I had to let go of the outcome and be able to go to sleep without the abject horror of the idea of dying," she explained. "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."
McCall's surgery was ultimately a success, and she felt a sense of relief to be on the other side.
However, she shared a revelatory moment after surgery where she saw the ghost of her late father, Andrew, who died in 2022 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
"My dad came to see me in hospital," she said. "He was really real, like he was before Alzheimer's, and he was with me for a whole afternoon. I said to Michael, 'Dad's been in.' Michael had been told by the doctors to tell me the truth if I was making mistakes [with memory], but he didn't have the heart to, so he said, 'How was he?' I said he looked great and that he was really happy for me and proud that I'd got through it."
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McCall said that eventually she had to face the fact that her father wasn't really there, but admitted that she found comfort in the situation.
"I told Michael the same story the next day, but a few hours later I said, 'My dad's dead, isn't he?' I grieved him all over again, but in a good way," she said. "I was able to let him go."
Nine months after her surgery, McCall told the outlet that she has a better appreciation for life and she's moving forward with a lot more courage.
"Now I don't feel frightened of anything," she said. "If there's something you've always wanted to do, and you can afford to do it now, f------ do it."