TV presenter Davina McCall has said her “final MRI” shows her benign brain tumour was removed in full during surgery and is “not coming back”.
The former Big Brother host, 57, underwent an operation in November 2024 to remove a colloid cyst, which was found after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.
She has been updating her fans on her recovery online and in her “final brain surgery update”, McCall said she feels “lucky to be able to draw a line under this” when “so many people can’t”.
In an Instagram video, where she appeared alongside her partner, celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas, she said: “We thought we’d post a final brain operation update.
“So last week I had my final MRI and I was a bit nervous about it because I knew that if any of it was left then it would grow back and I’d just go through the whole thing again, which I was prepared to do.
“I kind of mentally prepared myself for that.”
A picture of the MRI scan was shown on screen and McCall said the scan was “clear”.
She added: “I really want to say a massive thank you to everybody that looked after me so well.”
The shared post was captioned: “So here it is. Our final brain surgery update.
“Had the final MRI this week. @brain.surgeon.uk got everything out during surgery, it’s not coming back.”
McCall added: “I am so so grateful particularly because I know a lot of people have inoperable tumours and I know I’m lucky to be able to draw a line under this and move on with my life when so many people can’t.
“And I’m just gonna say this one more time. Benign does not mean fine…”
After her surgery, McCall spent time in intensive care before recovering from home with the help of her partner Douglas.
She spoke about the removal of the tumour while co-presenting this year’s Red Nose Day for Comic Relief and said it was “the hardest thing I’ve ever been through”.
According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50, and symptoms include headaches, vision problems and drowsiness, and some can be “difficult to remove without damaging surrounding tissue”.
McCall, the host of reality dating show My Mum, Your Dad, has long advocated for women’s health issues, and presented a documentary called Sex, Myths And The Menopause and another on contraception called Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution.
She became an MBE in the King’s birthday honours for services to broadcasting in 2023 and was given a special recognition award at the National Television Awards in 2024 for her broadcasting career.
