It was the moment she feared she might never come back⦠ā Davina McCall Breaks Down as She Reveals the Letters She Wrote to Her Children šš
As she prepared for brain tumor surgery, a terrifying thought lingered ā what if this was goodbye?
In that quiet, emotional space, Davina McCall did something no parent ever wants to do⦠she wrote letters to her children ā words filled with love, hope, and the unspoken fear she might not survive.
š¬ Now, through tears, sheās sharing those deeply personal messages for the first time ā and the emotion behind them is leaving everyone heartbrokenā¦
Davina McCall has revealed the heartwrenching plans she made for family and friends in case she died during her brain tumour operation.
The TV presenter, 57 underwent life-saving surgery in November 2024 after a rare colloid cyst was discovered in her brain, and though benign, it carried the risk of sudden death.
She has now given her first interview since the terrifying ordeal as she sat down with friend and fellow podcasterĀ Steven BartlettĀ on her own show,Ā Begin Again.
Davina revealed that she wrote individual letters to all of her children ā Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18 ā in case she didnāt survive.
āWhat I wanted to do was to try and find a way that they would all find a way through if I didnāt make it. They make me very proudā, she said.
Steven also spoke of a WhatsApp group he was added to by Davina, full of her friends and family, to talk about what was going on. āIf something bad happened, who do I not want to hear it from a paper?ā Davina said of who made the cut.

Davina McCall has revealed the heart-wrenching plans she made for family and friends in case she died during her brain tumour operation

The TV presenter, 57 underwent life-saving surgery in November 2024 after a rare colloid cyst was discovered in her brain, and though benign, it carried the risk of sudden death
āItās funny because I was put in a WhatsApp group with your friends and family, etc,ā Steven said. āMy first observation was how big that WhatsApp group is. I was like, āJesus Christ, sheās got some friends!āā
Davina replied: āDo you know what I was thinking when I made the WhatsApp group, is who do I⦠if⦠if something bad happened, who do I not want to hear it from a paper?
āSo, I was kind of thinking, in a way, I want them to hear good things. Who⦠who do I want to hear the news first before anybody else gets it? And that was my list of people.
āAnd itĀ was, you know, people like you, who I work with, who I really care about. And then there were obviously my family members. And it was quite nice putting that list together because I thought, āI have so many people I really care about in my life.āā
As Davinaās operation loomed the mother-of-three becameĀ so fearful of dying that she ensured her affairs were in order.
āI wrote letters of wishes to all the children, and put those in my will.ā
The Long Lost Family host believed that āin my head, I was literally the healthiest person in the worldā¦Ā And I had this head-to-toe scan.
āAnd they came back and they went, āOkay, weāve got your results. Um⦠weād like to talk to you.āā

She has now given her first interview since the terrifying ordeal as she sat down with friend and fellow podcaster Steven Bartlett on her own show, Begin Again

Davina revealed that she wrote individual letters to all of her children ā Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18 ā in case she didnāt survive

Steven also spoke of a WhatsApp group he was added to by Davina, full of her friends and family, to talk about what was going on. āIf something bad happened, who do I not want to hear it from a paper?ā Davina said of who made the cut
DavinaĀ also revealed she named her brain tumour, and even threw it a party.
She said: āI called my brain tumour Jeffrey. I needed to name it something.
āAnd I didnāt have any personal friends that were called Jeffrey, so it seemed like a good name to call him. And we had a Jeffrey happy birthday party with friends.ā
She said her boyfriend, hairdresserĀ Michael Douglas, 49, āplayed the piano and sang some songsĀ and sort of did speeches. And we all kind of talked about things and I talked about the fact that I was a bit scared, but āI know Iām going to do itā.
āAnd if it was going to happen to anybody, it was good it happened to me because I am robust mentally and I can handle it.ā
Despite the severity of her condition, she was determined to avoid pity.
āI just did not want the drama, right? I felt like the drama would make it a hundred times worse for me. I donāt want limp necks. āOh myĀ God, oh myā¦ā I donāt want pity. Because a lot of people have said to me since, āWhen you told me, I thought you could die.ā
āAnd I thought, āI donāt want people looking at me like I could die. Iām dealing with that myself.ā I just want positivity.ā

Davina also revealed she named her brain tumour, and even threw it a party

She said her boyfriend, hairdresser Michael Douglas āplayed the piano and sang some songs and sort of did speechesā


Davina has been open about her health scare and previously gave an emotional update in an Instagram video as she urged others to get private health checks if they can afford it
Now, as she recovers, the author sees life with a fresh perspective.
āI feel like lifeās never going to be the same again, but in rather a good way.ā
She added: āA life lived in fear is a life half-lived. Write your bucket list now. Donāt wait until itās too late.ā
Davina has been open aboutĀ her health scare and previously gave an emotional update in an Instagram video as she urged others to get private health checks if they can afford it.
The My Mum Your Dad presenter had her tumour picked up at a private clinic whenĀ she was offered a health check after taking part in a talk about menopause.
Discussing her progress after the surgery, she explained: āI really feel a lot more myself now. I feel way better.
āMy sense of gratitude is growing by the day, Iām crying a bit less which is good. Iām really looking forward to Christmas.
āI want to talk about the place I did my health check. I didnāt sing about it from the roof tops is it costs more than most people could afford. Itās expensive ā BUT it did save my life. But it is prohibitively expensive for most.
āTheĀ NHSĀ also offers loads of other checks too. So get them ā get the health check. Preventative medicine is better than reactive medicine.
āEat well, do exercise, be less stressed. I just feel so grateful now. Iād like to say a massive thank you to all the staff at the clinics ā IāmĀ pretty sure you saved my life.ā



