Davina McCall out of hospital after brain surgery
TV presenter Davina McCall has revealed she is now out of hospital and says itâs âreally nice to be back homeâ following surgery to remove a benign brain tumour.
In an emotional Instagram story posted on Monday, she said she was âon the other sideâ and wanted to give an âenormous heartfelt thank youâ for all the supportive messages she had received.
âItâs meant the world,â she said. âMy short-term memory is a bit remiss but thatâs something I can work on. Iâm writing down everything Iâm doing to keep myself feeling safe.
âIâm on the mend, Iâm resting, Iâm sleeping loads, I feel really good. And very lucky.â
Itâs the first time fans have heard directly from the star since she spoke about her diagnosis earlier this month, although her partner Michael continued updating her social media accounts and revealed she was out of intensive care last week.
He also thanked well-wishers and posted a statement to update followers when McCall came out of surgery the previous week.
In Mondayâs Instagram story, McCall said she was being âbrilliantly looked afterâ by Michael and her step-mum Gabby and wanted to give a âbig up to step-mumsâ, saying Gabby had âbeen an amazing rock my whole lifeâ and describing her as âa big dose of vitamin Gâ.
âWhen something happens like this, I feel so grateful,â she continued. âIâve always been grateful, Iâve been really lucky in my life but I feel unbelievably grateful right now.â
The 57-year-old posted a video on Instagram earlier this month, to say she had been diagnosed with a type of benign tumour called a colloid cyst.
A benign tumour is not cancerous, but such cysts tend to grow slowly, according to the Brainstrust charity.
Ahead of her surgery McCall had explained how the tumour had been found by chance.
âA 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,â she said in a video.
âBut it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare â three in a million.â
Colloid cysts typically form in a fluid-filled cavity in the centre of the brain, and are themselves filled with fluid, the Brains Trust says.
They account for less than 2% of all primary brain tumours, and the rate of growth and symptoms can vary from person to person, according to the charity.
McCall explained a surgeon would perform a procedure called a craniotomy, where part of the skull is removed to take out the tumour.
Mr Douglas previously said the operation had been âtextbookâ.
McCallâs long TV presenting career includes Channel 4âs Big Brother, ITVâs Long Lost Family, and My Mum, Your Dad, along with Comic and Sport Relief for the BBC.
Earlier this year she won a special recognition award at the National TV Awards, for her contributions to the TV industry over her career.
She also campaigns on menopause awareness, after her changing hormones prompted her to highlight womenâs experiences with her work.
Last year she won the top prize at the British Book Awards for 2022âs Menopausing, which she co-wrote with Dr Naomi Potter.
The so-called âDavina effectâ saw a huge increase in demand for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after she made a Channel 4 documentary, Sex, Myths and Menopause, in 2021.