Davina McCall says her post-surgery short-term memory loss is “really improving a lot every day” as she recovers at home from a brain operation. The former Big Brother presenter, 57, known for The Masked Singer and My Mum, Your Dad, revealed earlier this month that she was having surgery to remove a colloid cyst, a type of rare fluid-filled benign tumour in the brain.
She discovered her condition after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work, and following a spell in intensive care after the procedure has been supported by her partner Michael Douglas. McCall said on Monday that she was “on the mend”, but had issues with her short-term memory.
She wrote on Instagram in a Wednesday update that she is feeling “stronger and stronger”, as well as “so lucky, grateful” and “blessed”. In an accompanying Instagram video, McCall said: “I am feeling much better now that I’m home. I’m being brilliantly looked after by Michael and Gaby, my (step)mum, and just to say that, I’m now just trying to sleep a lot and get better.
“My short-term memory is really improving a lot every day, and it has been an example to me on how much sleep helps me recover from everything.
“So if I feel a bit confused or I’m struggling to kind of concentrate, I just go to sleep and I wake up completely renewed and refreshed so I know that my brain needs lots of sleep, and (I) just wanted to thank you all for your ongoing support, thanks so much.”
Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman, and TV personality Vicky Pattison were among those sending McCall messages of support. Non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50, and symptoms include headaches, blackouts, behavioural changes and loss of consciousness, according to the NHS.
McCall has long advocated on women’s health issues, and presented documentaries on contraception and the menopause. She has also raised money for Cancer Research UK by running the Race For Life, in honour of her sister Caroline Baday, who died from lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 50. Her father Andrew McCall, Gaby’s husband, died in 2022 after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.