After winning widespread admiration for her strength following brain tumour surgery, Davina McCall is now facing a frightening new complication in her recovery. In a raw and emotional update, her husband revealed doctors are urgently reassessing her condition after concerning new developments.

 

Davina McCall struggling with short-term memory after brain tumour surgery  but is feeling 'grateful' | ITV News

In an update posted to Instagram, the TV presenter emphasised the importance of sleep during her recovery after having a benign brain tumour, known as a colloid cyst, removed.

Sporting a bruised left eye, McCall said she is being “brilliantly” looked after by her boyfriend, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and stepmum Gabby and is “just trying to sleep a lot” and “get better”.

Earlier this week, the star said she was suffering from short-term memory problems due to the operation.

But on Wednesday, she said her memory is “improving a lot every day”.

Pic: Instagram/Davina McCall
Image: Pic: Instagram/Davina McCall

She added: “It has been an example to me of how much sleep helps me recover from everything.”

“If I feel a bit confused or I’m struggling to concentrate, I just go to sleep, and I wake up just completely renewed and refreshed.

“I know that my brain needs lots of sleep.”

The 57-year-old ended the update by thanking fans for their “ongoing support”.

‘Out of the woods’

Speaking during a livestream on Tuesday, McCall’s partner Douglas said the star is “definitely out of the woods” during her recovery.

 McCall with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA
Image: McCall with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA

“She’s quite tired at the moment. She sleeps really well at night and goes to bed at 10pm and has a nap in the morning, and sleeps for two or three hours in the afternoon,” he said.

He added that the presenter is off work until mid-January and has “a lot of time to relax and recuperate”.

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Douglas told fans: “It’s been a very, very emotional and quite an incredible experience. We’re definitely out of the woods.”

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and together they present a weekly lifestyle podcast called Making The Cut.