In an emotional exchange, Davina McCall opened up to podcast host Steven Bartlet about the harrowing time she was informed by doctors of the need for brain surgery. An unexpected health scan had uncovered a colloid cyst inside her head.
Sharing with her followers, she expressed: “I realised that I have to get it taken out. It’s big for the space – it fills the space. It’s 14mm wide. And it needs to come out because if it grows it would be bad.”
Colloid cysts, while benign, can become large enough to obstruct the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord, potentially causing severe symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, and even brain herniation.
The discovery of Davina’s condition came about entirely by chance. In an Instagram post, she shared: “A 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. But it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare – three in a million.”
She emotionally told Steven how the diagnosis made her feel as though “like this thing had taken control” over her life.
When Davina regained consciousness after her surgery, she experienced confusion about her identity and harboured fears that the procedure might have altered her permanently, reports Devon Live.
“You realise that your personality is your short term memory,” she expressed. “I was like, I’m still here!” Davina added emotionally, sharing that she felt as if she had “started anew” following her operation.
“I’m still here,” she said, choking back tears. Just weeks prior to the public revelation of her brain tumour diagnosis, Davina had spoken about preparing her family for the possibility of “something happening” to her.
Despite her condition remaining undiagnosed at that point, the fitness expert and former Big Brother host emphasised her belief in being transparent about death, rather than avoiding the topic. “I spend a lot of my time now telling the people I love what a f*****g great life I’ve had,” she stated.
“So that if something were to happen to me suddenly, they’d know – I’ve loved my life.”
Davina’s full interview with Steven will be online this Thursday, February 6, at 8am GMT, via her podcast, Begin Again