Davina McCall has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump a few weeks ago.
The TV presenter disclosed that she underwent surgery three weeks ago as she announced the news in an emotional video posted to her Instagram account on Saturday morning.
She said she is sharing the news in the hope that it “might help someone” as she urged others to “get checked”.
The 58-year-old described being “very angry” when she found out, but said she now feels in a “much more positive place” following the lumpectomy in October.
The diagnosis comes after she underwent surgery last year to remove a benign brain tumour, known as a colloid cyst, which was found after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.
The broadcaster said in her message on Saturday: “I just wanted to tell you that I have had breast cancer. I found a lump a few weeks ago, and it came and went, but then I was working on The Masked Singer and Lorraine, the TV show Lorraine Kelly, had put signs on the back of all the doors saying, ‘check your breasts’. And every time I went for a wee, I did that, and it was still there. And then one morning, I saw it in the mirror, and I thought, I’m going to get that looked at.
“So I had a biopsy. I found out it was indeed breast cancer, and I had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago, and the margins, they take out a little bit extra, and they check the margins, and the margins are clear.
“It was very, very small, so I got it very, very early, which is incredibly lucky, but I am so relieved to have had it removed, and to know that it hasn’t spread.
“My lymph nodes were clear. I didn’t have any removed, and all I’m going to do now is have five days of radiotherapy in January as kind of an insurance policy, and then I am on my journey to try it and stop it ever coming back.”
The former Big Brother presenter also thanked staff at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, along with her family and her “brilliant kids” – and she sent an “extra special thanks” to her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas.
“It’s been a lot. I was very angry when I found out, but I let go of that, and I feel in a much more positive place now,” she said.
“I think my message is, get checked if you’re worried, check yourself regularly. If you are due a mammogram, then get it done. And I have dense breasts, and I had a mammogram in August, and I was postponing the ultrasound. I just couldn’t find time to do it. Don’t do that. Get the ultrasound, and thanks for watching. And I’m sending you all a massive hug.”
The post received thousands of comments from friends and fans alike, praising the presenter and sending well-wishes. Among those were broadcaster Amanda Holden, writer Elizabeth Day and All Saints singer Nicole Appleton.
Pushing Daisies actress Anna Friel said: “Oh … I am so sorry you are going through so much. You are shining and still smiling in the face of adversity. It’s a lesson to us all.” Meanwhile, comedian Dawn French called her a “phenomenal woman” and said: “Blimey Davina! What a warrior you are. Must’ve been stressful.”
According to the NHS, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer for women in the UK, although anyone get it, with those at higher risk including people over the age of 50, if you have dense breast tissue or have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer.
Women are also more likely to get breast cancer if they have higher levels of the hormones oestrogen, progesterone or testosterone which may occur if they started periods before they were 12, went through the menopause after turning 55, have not given birth, gave birth for the first time after 30 or did not breastfeed their children.
The NHS also said people may be at higher risk if they have used the contraceptive pill in the last 10 years or take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), although “these only slightly increase your risk and for many people the benefits of taking them outweigh the risks”.
McCall is known for hosting Big Brother between 2000 and 2010 during its Channel 4 run, and has long advocated on women’s health issues, including presenting documentaries on contraception and the menopause. She has also co-presented BBC Comic Relief and Sport Relief, Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer, The Million Pound Drop, Long Lost Family and dating programme My Mum, Your Dad.
